Baby On The Way
by i-love-svu
Summary: Sara's pregnant with Grissom's child. Will he take responsiblity for it? And how will their relationship progess? Pretty much all fluff. Complete
1. Surprise

**A/N: I'm still working on fixing this story but here is what I have so far!**

Sara grinned as she looked around her apartment. The soft purple walls always made her smile whenever she came home from work. The color seemed to sooth her when stress took over her.

Just a few days ago, she had leaked a secret to Catherine; A secret she had hoped to conceal from everyone until she felt it was time they knew.

Her secret was one of the joyous sort.

She was pregnant.

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"_OhmiGod!" Catherine had shouted upon hearing the news._

_Sara quickly clamped her hand over the strawberry-blonde's mouth._

"_Shh! I don't want anyone else to know yet. I didn't even intend on telling you."_

_Catherine nodded. She couldn't believe what she had just heard; Sara was pregnant? It couldn't be true._

"_Well, who's the father?" She asked._

_Sara looked around the empty locked room; Did she really want to tell Catherine anymore than she already knew?_

"_Um, I think I know, but I'm not sure. So I'm not going to say anything," Sara replied as if she had just cracked a case._

_Catherine smiled._

"_It's Grissom, isn't it?"_

_Sara's cheeks turned red. Well, so much for a secret._

"_Really?" Catherine asked, very clearly intrigued. "Are you serious?"_

_Sara could only nod._

Sara glanced around her apartment again; The day after she had spoken to Catherine, the two went out shopping.

A smile spread on the brunette's face; Catherine had pointed out everything she would need or want.

After three hours in Kids 'R Us, Sara realized she had more to learn about caring for a baby than she had thought.

"_Okay, I'm almost three months along. That means I have six months to figure everything out. That's not enough time!"_ She thought.

She couldn't help but smile. Her living room was filled with baby related items; Diapers, bottles, pacifiers, a playpen, a crib, everything Catherine had suggested.

"I'm sure she didn't mean I had to buy everything," Sara said aloud. "But it couldn't hurt, right?"

She stood up and wandered over to the kitchen, being very careful not to step on any toys she had scattered about.

She pulled a salad out of the fridge and daintily took bites; She had realized that the term 'Morning Sickness' didn't mean that the vomiting would only happen in the morning.

After eating most of the salad, she placed the lid back on the container and put it back into the fridge.

Looking around, Sara's eyes darted from item to item; And finally stopped on a package of diapers.

"I don't think I can change a diaper," She whispered. Short, trembling breaths escaped from Sara's chapped lips as she tried to figure out what to do.

Panicking, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Catherine's number.

"Willows."

"Cath, it's Sara. I can't do this. I don't know anything about babies," Sara spluttered.

She had recently started worrying that she couldn't care for a baby; She could hardly remember to eat, so how would a baby survive in her care?

"Sara, honey, take a deep breath."

Sara did as she was told; The lump in her throat dissolved as she let it out and she could breathe normally again.

"You are going to be an amazing mom, okay? You'll do fine and if you need help, you can always call me."

Sara sighed.

"Thanks, Catherine."

"No problem," Catherine answered. "One question though. Have you told him yet?"

Sara swallowed; She knew she would have to tell him at some point, but she was really dreading it.

"No. Hey Cath, could you maybe come over and help me move some stuff?" Sara changed the subject as fast as she could.

"Sure. I'll be over in just a little bit."

The two hung up and Sara smiled; Even though sometimes Catherine annoyed her, she didn't know what she'd do without her.

_**Later That Evening**_

Sara laid back onto her couch. Catherine had helped her move the baby's things into Sara's bedroom.

Catherine had made sure Sara didn't lift anything that weighed over a pound; That made Sara feel protected.

She was glad to know that she and her baby were safe.

Sara's cell phone rested in her left hand.

She had thought all evening about calling Gil, but everything she knew about him told her not to call him.

This confused her; She loved him. And as a result of one date, Sara was now carrying his child.

Their child.

She carefully sat up and dialed his number.

Four rings and no answer.

Just as she was about to hang up, Gil's voice could be heard on the other end.

"Hello?"

Sara sucked in a breath.

"Hey. Grissom, um, how are you?" She said.

The long pause that followed her sentence concerned Sara.

"Sara?" He finally replied.

"Yeah. How are you?"

Gil seemed a little shocked.

"I'm good. How are you? We haven't talked in quite a while…"

"Yeah. Three months."

Another pause.

""Really? Wow. I'm so sorry I haven't called; It's really been three months?"

Sara smiled.

"Uh-huh, three months. We haven't talked since our date. Amazing how two people can work in the same building and not speak to each other," She finished with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

Gil chuckled; He loved her sense of humor.

"Well, I took two months off. Just back this month."

"Oh. Did you enjoy yourself?" Sara asked even though she really just wanted to tell him and hang up.

"Very much. I went to an insect lecture and completed my butterfly collection," He shared, obviously very proud of himself.

Sara giggled; Their child was bound to be a science geek.

"That sounds… interesting. Listen, I actually called to tell you something very important."

"Okay, shoot," He replied.

Sara sighed. _"Here goes nothing," _She thought.

"Gil, I'm… I'm pregnant."

Silence. That kind of silence that makes everyone uncomfortable and leaves the one who caused the silence feeling guilty.

"Gil? Are you still there?"

Silence.

"Gil, please answer me."

He sighed.

"Sara, why didn't you tell me earlier? I… It is mine, right?"

Sara scoffed.

"Yours? Oh, yes, by all means it is yours. Of course it's yours, you dumb ass! Sorry, what I meant to say was, no, it's not yours. It's ours."

Gil swallowed; He was going to be a father. The reality struck him hard, but he gladly accepted it.

"Sara, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound like a jerk. Do you want to talk about it?"

Sara raised one brow, taken back by his remark. He wanted to talk about it? The man who had never, in all of the time she had known him, wanted to talk about anything? Well, it was a first.

"Sure. You can come over here; I'm afraid if I get in the car I might puke up an organ."

Gil laughed.

"Okay, see you soon."

Sara hung up, feeling a mixture of emotions, but mostly happiness.


	2. The Nursery

"So," Gil smiled. He was overjoyed by Sara's news. "Pregnant."

Sara giggled. She just happy to see him again; Something about him had changed since the last time they had seen each other, but she just couldn't figure out what.

"Yep. So, are you happy or sad or what?" She asked, fiddling with a thread that was dangling from her shirt.

"I'm happy. I'm over the moon; How are you doing?"

Sara smiled affectionately. She loved him so much, it was hard for her to refrain from kissing him until they were both blue in the face.

"I'm good. Well, maybe not so good, but I'm doing better."

Gil cocked his head to one side.

"What do you mean? Is something wrong? Is the baby going to be okay?"

Sara rested her hand on Gil's as she calmed him down.

"I'm fine. Just tired all the time."

Gil pulled his hand out from underneath Sara's and wrapped his arm around her slender shoulders. The two sat there like that for a while, just staring at the wall.

"Have you picked out names?" He asked. He wanted Sara to know he cared, but he wasn't sure how to show it. After all, it was his first time being a dad.

Sara snuggled closer to Gil; She loved how protected he made her feel.

"Honestly, I haven't even thought about it."

Gil nodded.

"How about baby… items. I don't know what to call them. You know, bottles, blankets, that kind of stuff. Do you have any of that?"

Sara proudly smiled.

"Come on! I almost forgot to show you. Catherine and I went shopping," She boasted.

Gil smiled back.

"Well, I don't know which is more shocking; The fact that Catherine knew before I did or the fact that you two are getting along," He teased.

Sara stood up and tugged on Gil's hand like a small child desperate for their parent's attention.

He slowly stood up and followed Sara to her bedroom.

"Are you sure you're ready?" She asked, smiling brightly.

Gil only nodded.

Sara slowly opened the door and the two stepped in.

Gil's eyes wandered the room, taking in every detail he could.

A wooden crib was set up in the corner closest to Sara's bed, complete with bumper pads and a mobile.

A changing table was set up next to the window, stocked with everything needed to change a baby's diaper.

Rattles, two diaper bags, bottles, blankets and pacifiers occupied Sara's bed.

Curtains covered in vivid zoo animals hung over the large double window, hiding the lights of various casinos.

"What do you think?" Sara asked, eagerly awaiting Gil's answer.

He looked around the room again, his eyes glowing with happiness.

Sara took a few small steps in front of him and glanced meekly around the room.

Gil gently pulled Sara toward him and rested his hands on her slightly swollen stomach.

"I love it," he whispered into her ear.

The two stood there like that, Sara's back up against Gil's strong chest.

"And I love you," He said, this time louder than his last statement.

Sara felt as if her heart was going to burst through her chest.

She had waited a long time to hear those three words.

She never would have guessed that Gil loved her more than he ever had because she was pregnant with his child.

Their child.


	3. Friends

**Five Months Later**

Sara adjusted the pillow that would be supporting her back before sitting down onto the couch.

Nearly eight months pregnant, her stomach looked as if she had swallowed a beach ball.

Pregnancy hadn't been as bad as she had thought it would have been.

Yes, her ankles were slightly swollen and her food cravings were odd; Ice cream and honey, cheeseburgers and chocolate syrup. But nothing else was wrong.

She had been worried about being responsible for another human being, but so far she loved it.

Whenever the baby kicked, she'd rest her hand lovingly on her stomach and smile.

"Sar?" Grissom called out.

A smile spread on her tired face.

After she had announced her pregnancy to him, Gil seemed more thrilled than she was.

He moved in with her, took excellent care of her, went out for food runs and he was nicer than ever.

"Sar, they were out of chocolate ice cream, so I got you rocky road."

He handed her the grocery bag and bent down and kissed her on the forehead.

"Everything okay?" Gil asked in his concerned father tone.

Sara nodded.

She loved having him in her apartment all the time.

Well, he wasn't there all the time; He still had to work. But he didn't work even half as much as he used to.

"Thank you so much," Sara said with a grin. Ice cream appeared to be the food of the month and Grissom hadn't complained once about going out to get some for her.

He joined her on the couch, lifting her feet and placing them in his lap; Sara knew what was next.

Slowly he began rubbing her feet.

"You really don't have t—Oh, that's the spot that has been bothering me," She groaned.

She laid back on the couch with a smile on her face.

Sara awoke several hours later to find that she was covered up by three blankets and a large pillow had been placed under her head.

"Griss?" She yelled.

Sometimes it bothered her that they slept in different rooms. She needed to feel protected.

She wanted to feel like their unborn child was protected.

Gil emerged from Sara's bedroom, yellow rubber gloves covering his hands and sweat beads on his forehead.

"What are you doing?" She asked with a giggle.

True, she loved him, but sometimes he was just plain weird.

"Oh. I'm cleaning your bathroom."

Sara tossed the blankets off of her and managed to sit up in one swift movement.

"You okay?" He asked, ready to rip off his gloves and help her with whatever she needed.

She nodded happily and stood up, making her way to the kitchen.

"Cath's coming over in a bit and I want to eat before she gets here so I don't make a pig out of myself in front of her."

Gil smiled.

"Okay. I'm gonna finish up in there and then… I'll find something else to do," He called as he went off to the bathroom.

Sara rummaged through her refrigerator. Spaghetti, eggs, milks and what appeared to be one of Gil's experiments.

She sighed as she pulled out the spaghetti; She couldn't wait for the baby to be born.

Gil and Catherine had painted her bedroom to look like a nursery.

Each wall a different color; A soft green, soft yellow, soft pink and blue.

It was beautiful.

She was very anxious to hold the baby in her arms, to talk to it, sing to it and tell it stories.

But mostly she wanted to look at it.

Look into it's eyes and smile, seeing the child in the future, reading and playing.

The sound of the doorbell jolted Sara from her thoughts.

She tottered over to the door and smiled when Catherine entered.

"Good God, Sara!" She exclaimed upon seeing the brunette's stomach.

Sara had to smile.

She and Catherine had grown a lot closer; A few times a week Catherine came over and they talked about work and everything friends talk about.

"Hey, Cath. Can I get you anything to drink?" She asked.

Catherine shook her head.

"No I'm fine. Oh, a question came to me last night. Why the hell aren't you working?"

The two sat down on the couch and Sara grinned.

"Well evidently, Gil doesn't want me working at all until after the baby is at least a year old. He's so protective. The one thing he does that cracks me up? He will not sleep in the same bed as me. I think it's a little too late for that one," Sara laughed.

"I think that's nice. It shows he loves you," Catherine said with a smirk. "How are things between you two?"

Sara sighed with a smile.

"Amazing. He's so good to me."

Gil came into view, still wearing his rubber gloves.

"Oh Catherine. I didn't know you were here. I was just cleaning the bathroom," He explained.

Catherine sniggered.

"More like performing an autopsy!"

Sara and Catherine burst out laughing as Gil rolled his eyes and returned to his cleaning.


	4. Talking

Gil smiled as he walked out into the living room and found Sara asleep on the couch.

He watched her chest rise and fall a few times before pulling the blanket off the back of the couch and covering her up with it.

He loved watching her sleep; She always looked so peaceful.

So different from the sad young woman he had grown to love.

She groaned in her sleep and Gil rushed to her side.

He crouched down next to the sofa.

Sara blinked her eyes a few times as she whispered, "Hey. How long have I been asleep?"

Gil brushed her hair out of her face.

"Just a few hours. Come on, let's go get in your bed," He replied.

Sara cocked her head to the side; Had he said what she thought he had?

"Wait. You're going with me?"

He nodded.

Sara sat up, Gil helping her, but she didn't leave the couch right away.

"Sar, what's wrong?" He asked.

She absent mindedly chewed on her bottom lip; A habit she had had since she was kid.

"I think we should talk about names," She finally answered.

Gil joined her on the couch and wrapped his arms around her.

"Okay. What do you have in mind?"

Sara sighed.

She didn't have anything in mind; She just wanted to talk. To interact with him.

Usually they watched TV together or sat on the couch, cuddled together just listening to the other breathe.

Generally, that was good enough for Sara. It had been what she had dreamed about for years.

But at this moment, she wanted to talk.

"I'm not sure. How about you start and we'll go from there?" She suggested.

Gil nodded.

"Well, I've always liked James for a boy. I had a friend when I was younger and that was his name. And for a girl, I think Elizabeth," He smiled.

Sara rested her head on his shoulder.

"Okay. Those are good ones. I think I like Elizabeth; It sounds so… adult, you know? And there are so many nicknames that could surface from that name. But I've never thought about boy names."

Her love for him grew every day; The way he acted towards her. He treated her like the wife he had never had.

And the way he made her feel. He made her feel like nothing bad could ever happen.

She loved feeling that way.

"Well it's not like we have to choose right now. We might want to think about it more tomorrow, considering you have two weeks left to go."

"Yeah. Okay, we can go to bed now," Sara finished with a yawn.

Gil gently helped Sara stand up and he lead the way to the bedroom.

Neither even bothered to change into pajamas; Sara was too tired and Gil decided he didn't want to leave her even for a moment.

The two climbed into the bed, both yawning and rubbing their eyes.

Gil kissed Sara on the forehead before turning to the wall and yawning, "Good night, Sar."

Although Sara was tired, she didn't fall asleep right away.

Instead, she carefully sat up and looked around the room, her eyes resting upon each item she had purchased for the baby for a moment then moving on to the next.

She smiled as she slid down in the covers, pulling them up to her chin.

She moved her hand to her stomach and gently stroked where the baby had been kicking.

"Good night, baby," She whispered before drifting off to sleep.


	5. The Hospital

Gil carefully sat up, making sure he didn't wake Sara.

As a smile crossed the sleeping woman's face, one appeared on his too.

"Hey," She whispered, brown eyes still tightly shut. She didn't want to wake up, but her stomach was hurting like hell.

Gil laid back down and propped himself up on his elbow.

"Hey. You hungry?"

Sara violently shook her head.

"No. No food. My stomach is killing me," She replied, stroking her swollen belly.

Gil nodded. He made sure Sara ate when she was supposed to, but if her stomach hurt, he didn't want her to eat something and end up sick.

"Oh, are you okay? What do you think it is?" He asked.

Slowly he placed his hand on top of Sara's and she looked up into his eyes.

He moved his elbow so he kiss her but just as they were about to kiss, Sara let out a scream of pain.

Gil's eyes widened in horror as her face quickly lost it's color and her hands started shaking.

"Sara!" He grabbed her shoulders and tried to figure out what was wrong.

"Sara, answer me. Oh, God," His voice trailed off.

Sara blinked her eyes a few times; What the hell was wrong with her?

"Gil, I don't know what's wrong. Call an ambulance," She calmly instructed him.

He did as he was told. Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, his eyes never leaving Sara's, he dialed 911.

**At The Hospital**

Gil impatiently sat in the waiting room, wondering when someone was going to tell him what was going on.

The ambulance had came, loaded Sara up and drove the two to the hospital.

Once inside, Sara was taken to a wing Gil had never been to.

And the doctor had said that once they knew anything, he'd come back and tell Gil.

Well that had been almost two hours ago.

A nurse strode out of the forbidden doors, looking at a folder.

"Excuse me, nurse?" He asked, his voice breaking at the beginning of every word.

She closed the folder and looked at Gil for a moment as if she didn't understand him. Just as Gil was getting ready to walk away, she answered.

"Mr. Grissom? You came in with Sara, correct?"

He nodded nervously.

"Okay. Well, Sara has gone into labor."

Gil wasn't sure what to say; The child could survive, but he was still upset.

"A-are you sure? Can I see her?" Gil sputtered.

The nurse guided him over to a set of chair and the two sat down.

"Mr. Grissom, we are going to take excellent care of your wife. Just—"

"Wife? No, Sara's my… girlfriend. I haven't had a chance to propose yet."

This time the nurse nodded.

"Okay. We're going to take good care of Sara. If you come with me I'll take you to her."

Gil eagerly stood up.

He needed to see Sara. He had to make sure she was okay.

The nurse, whose name Gil couldn't recall ever hearing, led him to Sara's room.

Nearly ten minutes later, the nurse motioned for Gil to enter the room and then simply walked away.

He took a deep breath, then cautiously entered.

The room was dark except for a small lamp next to Sara's bed.

By the dim light he could see that she was pale; Very pale.

"Sar?" He asked.

Sara slowly opened her eyes.

She wasn't expecting her baby to be born this early; She had four more weeks to go! But she too knew that the child could survive and she prayed it would.

"Hey, Sar," He whispered as he walked over to the bed and sat down in the chair.

Sara closed her eyes as he took her hand in his; She was so glad he was there.

"Sara, what did the doctor say?"

She wasn't sure why, but she felt like crying; Tears began freely flowing down her cheeks.

"Not much. Just that I've gone into labor," She finally managed.

Gil didn't move.

So it was true.

He didn't let Sara know it, but he was glad their child was finally coming into this world; He had grown very tired of waiting to hold it in his arms.

He wanted to read it articles out of Science magazine to make sure that it was a smart baby.

Gil didn't know it, but Sara wanted the same things.


	6. Proposal

"Sar, I think we need to talk about names," Gil whispered. "We really haven't talked about those."

Sara smiled; She had been waiting for him to say that.

"Griss, the doctor did an ultrasound right when they brought me in. He told me what the baby's gender is."

Gil swallowed.

Half of him wanted to know and the other half didn't.

After a few moments, he nodded.

"Okay sweetie. Tell me what it is."

Sara sighed as the knot in her throat loosened; She really didn't know how much longer she could hold it all together.

"I-It's a girl," She whispered, the smile still remaining on her tear-stained face as she lovingly placed her hand on her stomach.

Gil silently watched Sara move her hand to various places on her abdomen, what he presumed to be following the movements of their child move around.

A daughter.

"_Thank you," _He whispered.

"A daughter. Aren't you happy?" Gil asked.

Sara nodded as closed her eyes; All of a sudden she was incredibly tired.

Gil once again wrapped his arm around Sara's shoulders, letting her know he loved her.

A quiet knock came from the door and the two looked up.

"Hi, Sara. How are you doing?" The man Gil recognized as Sara's obstetrician, Dr. Tiverson.

After trying for several seconds, Gil managed a smile.

"I think we're okay," He said to the doctor.

Tiverson nodded.

"Gil, we gave Sara magnesium sulfate to try and stop the early labor. It seems to be working okay for now, but there's always a chance that it could fail. I just thought I'd check on you. It's going to be okay," He grinned as he left the room.

He stopped in the hallway and backed up to the door frame.

"Sara, your baby is going to live," He said with a huge smile.

Dr. Tiverson exited once again.

Sara felt her smile return.

"I can't believe it. I'm so stupid; I actually thought the baby didn't have a chance," She whispered.

Gil grinned as thoughts of what the child would look like flashed through his mind.

"Gil can you go call Catherine? I'd like her to be here."

He nodded and kissed Sara on the forehead before leaving in search of a payphone.

Much to his surprise, there was one right outside of Sara's room; Talk about convenient.

He pulled a few quarters out of his pocket and popped them into the coin slot on the phone.

"Willows."

"Cath, it's Grissom. Sara and I are at Desert Palm; She went into early labor and she wants to see you. Can you come?" He asked with a hint of desperation in his voice that he couldn't hide.

Gil could hear Catherine trying to contain her excitement.

"I'll be there in ten!"

The two hung up and Gil walked back into Sara's room.

He smiled as he saw she still had her hand on one specific spot.

"She'll be here soon," He shared.

Sara nodded.

"How about we talk about those names now?" She asked.

Gil sat back down on the edge of the bed.

"Okay. You like Elizabeth, right?"

Sara grinned.

"Yeah. I really do like it."

Gil thought for a moment.

"How about Elizabeth Sara Grissom? Or Sara Elizabeth Grissom?"

Sara's grin remained on her face as a look of confusion joined it.

"But, we're not married. I mean, I like your—"

"Sara, I think we should get married."


	7. Good Times

Sara felt like she was spinning.

"Marry you? Do I have to answer now? I mean, I really can't answer that right now."

Gil nodded. He felt so stupid. What the hell was he thinking?

"I'm sorry honey. Please ignore me. I'm really not thinking clearly."

A knock came from the door once again and without waiting for an answer, Catherine came in.

"Hey Sara!" Catherine smile as she walked to the side of the bed.

The strawberry-blond gave Sara a huge hug.

"Cath, can't breathe," Sara muttered.

"Right. Sorry," She apologized as she released the brunette. "So what did the doctor say?"

Sara smiled.

"Just that I've gone into labor and the baby is a girl!" She excitedly shared.

Catherine's eyes light up.

"Awesome! Now we can buy all those cute clothes that you loved!"

She sat down on the opposite edge Gil was sitting on and she took Sara's hand in hers.

"Do you need anything?" Gil asked.

He felt so helpless just sitting there.

Sara shook her head.

"I don't, but you look like you need some coffee. Go now," She whispered.

Gil jumped up but before he left the room, he kissed Sara gently on top of the head.

"Love you."

"Love you, too," Sara replied.

Catherine smiled as Gil left the room.

"He really loves you, doesn't he?"

Sara returned the smile.

"Yeah. So much, he asked me to marry him."

Catherine's eyes widened.

"He did not!"

Sara nodded. Was it really that hard to believe?"

"Well, what did you say?"

"I um, said no," Sara mumbled.

Catherine sighed.

"Please change the subject before I stroke out," She playfully teased. "Have you picked out names?"

Sara smiled.

"We were talking about them."

"Well? What name did you two decide on?"

Sara sighed.

She was so excited.

"We have chosen Sara Elizabeth… Grissom," She grinned.

"Wait, I thought you said that you said no," Catherine stated.

Sara looked down at her stomach.

"Well, I changed my mind."

Gil entered, carrying two cups of coffee.

"Oh, you know me all too well," Sara smiled.

Gil laughed.

"Oh, no. No coffee for you. It's for Catherine."

Catherine joined in Gil's laughter.

"Bastard. Hey, I changed my mind," She giggled.

Gil handed a cup of the liquid to Catherine and sat back down on his edge of the bed.

"Changed your mind? About what?" He inquired.

Sara sighed.

"About your proposal!" She exclaimed.

Catherine smiled brightly as Gil kissed Sara.

"Okay. Now I just have to buy a ring," He laughed.

The three of them laughed and talked all night; About things they could buy for the baby and how smart she would be.

All the while little Sara Elizabeth Grissom moving around inside of Sara.


	8. Born

Sara blinked her eyes a few times; Gil and Catherine were asleep in the hospital chairs, looking very uncomfortable.

She sighed.

She was so anxious for Sara Elizabeth to be born.

A rap came from the door followed by Dr. Tiverson entering the silent room.

"Sara," He whispered, "I have to tell you something."

Sara nodded absent mindedly.

"Go ahead," She replied.

Dr. Tiverson walked over to her bed.

"Sara, I'm afraid the medicine we gave you isn't helping. You're eight centimeters dilated."

She smiled; Finally, she wouldn't look like a blimp anymore!

The doctor smiled back.

"Once you reach ten centimeters, we'll have to deliver the baby."

"Time to wake Gil up," She whispered to herself.

She carefully pulled one of the many pillows out from behind her head and after aiming, she tossed it at him.

His eyes shot open and after waking up, he took his place on the edge of the bed.

"Hey Sar."

She smiled from ear to ear.

"She's definitely on her way!" She announced.

Gil smiled back.

He felt as if his heart was going to burst out of his chest; He gave Sara a peck on the cheek.

"Gil, I want you and Catherine to go out into the waiting room," She murmured.

A confused look crossed his smiling face.

"Why?"

"Well, you are old fashioned, right? That means you have to wait in the waiting room!"

Gil reluctantly stood up; He really didn't want to leave her alone.

Before waking Catherine, he grasped Sara's hand in his and gave it a quick kiss.

"Cath, wake up."

Without waiting for an answer, he pulled Catherine to her feet and somehow managed to get outside of the room.

Sara exhaled loudly before smiling at her swollen belly.

**In The Waiting Room**

Gil dumped Catherine's sleeping body into an empty chair and sat down in the one next to her.

He couldn't believe Sara Elizabeth was going to be born; Most likely sometime within the hour!

"What's wrong, Gil?" Catherine asked, her eyes still closed.

"I thought you were asleep."

With much effort, Catherine managed to sit up.

She rubbed her eyes and looked around the empty room. Where was Sara?

"Gil, what are we doing out here? And where the hell can I get some coffee?"

Gil sunk down in his seat.

"Sara is going to have to deliver the baby and she asked us to wait out here, even though I wanted to be in the delivery room with her. Coffee's over there," He replied pointing to the coffee machine on a nearby desk.

Catherine unhurriedly walked over to the desk and fixed herself a cup of coffee.

A doctor emerged from the direction of Sara's room; Was something going on?

"Mr. Grissom?"

Gil nodded.

"We've taken Sara to the delivery room. We'll take good care of her and a nurse will let you know when the baby is born," The doctor shared, then rushed back in the direction he had come from.

Catherine sat back down in her chair.

"This coffee is so good. It's so much better than that shit at the lab!"

"Cath I'm going to go for a little walk. I'll be back in a bit."

He pushed open a door leading to the outside; A cold breeze hit his face, but he didn't care.

Nothing could spoil his happiness.

He sat down on the only bench in sight and sighed.

He was more excited than he had ever been.

Their daughter was going to be healthy; He couldn't wait to hold her and talk to her.

He shuddered as the wind blew again; He couldn't remember the last time it had been this cold in Vegas.

This time he was able to stand up.

He walked back into the hospital feeling much happier than when he had gone out.

Turning the corner to the waiting room, he saw Catherine was asleep again.

As he sat down, a doctor slowly approached Gil.

"Mr. Grissom, you have a daughter."


	9. Visiting

The doctor led Gil back to the wing of the hospital where Sara and their baby were currently being checked over by doctors and nurses.

His mind was racing with questions he knew couldn't be answered.

The two turned left and stopped outside of the first door on their left. The doctor peered into the room and Gil did the same.

He saw Sara lying in a bed, the darkness covering her legs and part of her stomach.

Then he saw her; Their daughter. She was barely visible through the group of nurses checking her over.

Gil blinked several times before he reached for the doorknob.

"Mr. Grissom, you'll have to put these on," The doctor handed Gil a pair of off-yellow scrubs.

Gil slipped them on as fast as possible.

He turned the knob and entered the room.

The nurses didn't even look up as Gil took a few steps into the room; He stared at the wiggling baby.

"Hey," He heard a tired voice say.

Gil looked towards where the voice had come from and that's when he saw her.

Sara was lying in a bed, face silently pale and her hair looked damp.

"Hey," He replied as he walked towards her.

He sat on the edge of the bed, just like he had done in the room she had been in previously.

"How are you?" Gil asked.

He hadn't expected her to look quite so sick; It was rather shocking to see the love of his life looking so unwell.

Sara shifted her body so she was almost completely on her side.

She was so glad he was here.

"I'm okay, I suppose."

Gil stroked her hand; He really wasn't sure what else to do.

He desperately wanted to hold their child, but he didn't want to ask.

For some reason he thought it would upset Sara. He didn't want to sadden her.

A nurse wearing Scooby-Doo scrubs approached them and while a smile, asked, "Would you two like me to bring her over?"

Gil looked at Sara, who had closed her eyes once the nurse had come over, almost as if she knew what was going to be asked.

Sara and Gil nodded in unison.

"Okay. I'll be right back," the nurse said as she walked over to the nurses who were huddled around something.

Sara opened her eyes as the nurse very slowly and carefully wheeled the bed containing their daughter over to the bed.

The nurse stopped the bed once it was touching Sara's bed; She then lowered the guard rail, and gestured that Sara could reach over and touch the squirming child.

Sara glanced up at Gil before slowly reaching into the child's bed.

She placed her finger in the little girl's hand and smiled.

"You can talk to her," The nurse whispered.

Sara nodded.

"Um, hi Sara. I'm your mommy and this is your daddy," She proudly announced.

Gil smiled.

"Sar, don't you think it'll be confusing, considering that both of your names are Sara?" He asked, fondly watching the most important women in his life interact.

Sara shook her head as she watched the baby wrap her tiny hand around her finger.

"Nope. We can call her Sara Elizabeth or just Elizabeth. I thought about that on the way to deliver her," She whispered.

Gil smiled. He had never been happier in his life.

"Okay. I think to start off we should call her Elizabeth. Then when she gets in trouble, we can call her the entire name."

"Mr. Grissom, you can bring your chair around to this side. That way you both can get to know your new baby, " The nurse smiled once again before joining the other nurses, who were standing in the corner and watching the proud new parents.

Gil stood up and moved to the other side of the bed, taking his chair with him.

"Look at her," He whispered. "She's perfect."

He gently traced the baby's arm; He noted her soft pink skin was warmer than he had expected.

Sara nodded as tears slid down her pale cheeks.

"What's wrong, Sar?" Gil asked, his eyes shifting from Sara to the baby.

She sniffled.

"I'm just happy," She whispered.

Gil smiled; He didn't know why. But he just felt like smiling.

"Oh Sar, me too. She's okay. Let's just hope she doesn't have your attitude," He teased.

Sara smiled back and turned her attention back to their daughter.


	10. Crying

Sara opened her eyes and looked over to her sleeping child, whose hand was still clamped around Sara's index finger.

Gil was asleep on the couch in the corner closest to Sara's bed; Actually, that's not where it had originally been. He had moved it there after the doctors and nurses had left.

She smiled as Elizabeth kicked her legs in her sleep; This was one active baby.

But suddenly the child started screaming at the top of her little lungs.

Gil jumped up from the couch, not entirely sure what was going on.

"Sar, what the hell is wrong with her?" He asked over the loud shrieking.

Sara shrugged. If she had known she would have taken care of it by now.

"Hand her to me," Sara ordered.

Catherine had taught her how to hold a baby, but of course, it had only been a baby doll.

Gil obediently rushed to the small bed and lifted Elizabeth out, making sure one hand was supporting her neck and head, while the other was holding her back.

He looked lovingly at the child for a moment then handed her to Sara.

She repeated what Gil had done and nestled the baby against her chest.

"Hey, Liz, it's okay," She cooed. "Baby, it's okay. Momma's got you."

After nearly five minutes of gently rocking her back and forth whilst saying soothing things, Elizabeth stopped screaming and simply began cooing back.

Sara exhaled sharply but continued talking to the small child.

"Hey Liz. Momma's got you. No need to cry," She softly said.

Then without removing her eyes from Elizabeth, she said to Gil, "Will you please go get a nurse? Preferably the one named Wendy, if you can; She was really nice to me."

Gil nodded and ran out of the room, hanging a sharp right to go to the nurses station.

"Grissom!" He heard someone call.

He spun around to find Catherine walking briskly behind him.

"Where the hell have you been? I talked to a few doctors but they all said I couldn't see you or Sara. What's wrong?" She asked as she noticed he was breathing hard.

Gil placed one hand on the nearby wall to steady himself and took a few panting breaths.

"Sara had the baby!" He finally exclaimed.

"Oh my God! Where is she? Can I see them?"

Gil took off walking again with Catherine in hot pursuit.

"I have to find a nurse; Sara needs one for something but she didn't say what. I'll take you to them once I find a nurse," He replied.

A nurse of the same height as Gil exited the nurse's station and greeted him with a smile.

"Mr. Grissom! I was just coming to check on Sara; Is everything okay?"

Gil's eyes darted to the nametag on the woman's uniform; It read 'Wendy'.

"Sara asked me to come and find you; I don't know if something's wrong or if she needs something."

Wendy was still smiling as the trio walked back towards Sara's room.

"Okay. Who's this?" She asked, motioning to Catherine.

Catherine sighed.

"Sorry. Should've introduced myself. I'm Catherine, a friend of Sara and Gil's."

Wendy nodded absent-mindedly as they walked into Sara's room; She was still talking quietly to Elizabeth with a huge smile on her face.

"Hi you two! Sara, is something wrong? Gil told me you asked him to come get me," Wendy asked as she looked at the small baby in her mother's arms.

Gil walked over to the couch and sat down, instantly feeling tired; He wanted to hold Elizabeth extremely badly, but he was afraid he would drop her.

"Well, I think Liz might be hungry," Sara answered as she looked up for the first time and noticed Catherine. "Cath! Hi! Come look at her; She's so perfect!"

Catherine moved over to the bed and upon seeing the baby, she smiled.

"Sara, she's beautiful. Looks just like you," She replied as she gently touched Elizabeth's foot.

Gil nodded as he laid down on the couch and closed his eyes; He didn't know why he was so tired.

"Okay Sara, I think you're right about her being hungry," Wendy finally said. "Just a moment."

She walked over to the counter and pulled a small bottle out of the cupboard above the sink, added some water and put it in the microwave.

Silence filled the room but a few seconds later the timer went off on the microwave.

Catherine gave Sara a quick hug, the best one she could without squishing the infant, then joined Gil on the couch.

The two watched intently as Wendy showed Sara how to feed Elizabeth.

A smile spread on Gil's face as Sara accepted the bottle and did exactly as Wendy had instructed.

"So how's the proud father?" Catherine asked as she playfully punched Gil in the forearm.

"Happier than ever."


	11. Whispers and Muffins

Sara forced her eyes open and glanced down to her left; Elizabeth was still asleep in the small crib.

"Hey, I'm going for breakfast. You want something?" Catherine asked as she stood up from the couch. She and Gil had been taking turns sleeping on the couch and in the single chair next to Sara's bed.

Sara shook her head.

"No. I'm not supposed to eat anything other than what they bring me. Eat a muffin for me!" She whispered.

It was funny; Every since Elizabeth had been born, every time Sara spoke, she whispered. She couldn't help it.

Catherine smiled as she left the room.

As soon as the strawberry-blond had left the room, Sara sighed.

She was incredibly bored.

Nurses were usually rushing in and out of the room, checking on Elizabeth and getting the medicines she needed.

Sara didn't mind. She liked having a lot of people to talk to, even though she was shy.

She looked over to the infant again and was surprised to see her kicking her legs and looking around.

"Well hello," Sara whispered as she placed her index finger in Elizabeth's hand; She really seemed to like holding onto things.

Elizabeth cooed happily as Sara smiled.

She loved this child more than she had ever known possible.

"She's awake?" Gil asked. He was still sitting in the chair next to Sara's bed, with his eyes closed.

She nodded.

"Yeah. Have you held her yet?" She replied.

Elizabeth had officially turned two days old an hour ago and Sara couldn't remember seeing Gil hold the baby; He had picked her up when she had been crying, but he hadn't held her or rocked her.

"No I haven't."

Sara pulled her finger out of the child's grasp, as it was making her finger turn a light shade of purple, and shifted so she was close enough to Gil to kiss him.

"You need to. It's like nothing I've ever felt before. Please, get up and hold her," Sara softly said.

Gil opened his eyes and obediently did as Sara had pleaded.

At first Gil was very hesitant; He was perfectly content just looking at Elizabeth.

But Sara had asked him and he wanted to make her happy.

His right hand went under the infant's neck and she gurgled.

"Was that healthy?" He asked with a smile.

Sara giggled.

He place his right hand underneath the bottom of her pink sleeper and lifted her out of the crib.

He pulled her close to him with a huge smile; He had picked her up without hurting her.

Catherine entered with two cups of coffee; Sara knew it was for Gil even though she had been begging the nurses, Gil and Catherine to get her just one cup. She knew it was bad for Elizabeth, but coffee was her only addiction besides work, and going cold turkey on both was a little overwhelming.

"Can I at least smell it?" Sara asked, looking away from her daughter and soon to be husband for the first time since he had picked her up.

Catherine quietly giggled.

"Fine. But I'm holding the cup and you are not, I repeat, not going to try and drink it. Understand?"

She moved the cup towards Sara and she eagerly breathed in it's awakening aroma.

"Okay. You can take it away," She finally sighed.

Sara turned her attention back to Gil, who was talking to Elizabeth; She seemed very interested in what he was saying, but she was looking at the ceiling instead of him.

Sara knew that babies couldn't really tell where the noises they heard were coming from until they were older, but she didn't care.

She loved talking to Elizabeth. It was nice to tell her about her parents and what her nursery was like.

"Sara, when he's done can I hold her?" Catherine asked, also watching Gil pace the floor.

Sara nodded.

"Yeah. What kind of muffin did you eat?" She replied.

"Chocolate chip. It was good."

Gil slowly walked over to Catherine with a smile.

"Your turn. I need breakfast," He beamed as he glanced down at Elizabeth.

Catherine stood up and took off her coat.

"All right," She replied, accepting the child into her arms. "Hello, Elizabeth. I'm your Aunt Catherine. You are so cute, but I bet you already knew that…" Her voice trailed off as she walked to the spot where Gil had been pacing.

Sara watched Catherine.

Elizabeth was cooing softly and Catherine was still talking.

"So what did you talk to her about?" Sara asked.

"Well, bugs of course," He replied.

Gil kissed Sara before heading off to get some breakfast.


	12. The Team Visits

"How was breakfast?" Sara asked Gil as he entered the room, finishing her breakfast which was Cheerios, milk and mixed fruit.

"Pretty good. She must be enjoying herself," He nodded to Catherine who was still walking around the room holding Elizabeth.

Gil sat on the edge of Sara's bed. He was hiding a small picture frame behind his back.

"Sar I have something for you."

He handed her the picture frame with a smile.

It was a picture of Sara and Elizabeth, right after she had been born.

"Oh, thank you," She whispered as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"All right. Take this child away from me; My arms are numb. Not that you're heavy, Liz. No you're not," She laughed as she laid the infant in her crib.

Gil and Sara both fixed their eyes on the wiggling baby.

"Hey, why don't you go call the rest of them? I suppose they should get a look at her," Sara softly said to Gil.

He kissed Sara on the cheek before leaving the room.

Once again Sara placed her index finger in Elizabeth's hand; She instantly pulled her mother's finger into her mouth and began sucking on it.

"Liz, that's just wrong. Catherine can you make a bottle for me?"

Catherine giggled as she walked over to the sink and began making a bottle; The communication between the mother and daughter was priceless. Sara was such a good mother.

The newborn begun to fuss just as Catherine popped the bottle into the microwave.

"Just a few more seconds," Sara whispered.

She gently lifted the baby from her crib and cuddled her against her chest; Both Catherine and Wendy had suggested it. Evidently infants like hearing their mother's breathing and heartbeats.

"Here Sara," Catherine softly said as she handed the bottle to the brunette.

Sara seemed to have become an old pro at feeding Elizabeth in a matter of days; Catherine found it astounding that she had picked up on it so quickly, seeing that Liz was her first child.

"Hey, look who I found out in the waiting room," Gil exclaimed as he entered followed by Nick, Greg and Warrick.

Sara mouthed the words "Shut up" at the group and continued feeding the baby in her arms.

Gil lead the men over to the couch and they all sat down; Catherine quietly hugged everyone. Even Greg.

"Griss said her name is Sara Elizabeth Grissom. But you guys aren't married," Greg whispered. He had faced the wrath of Sara one too many times and he really didn't want to experience it again.

Gil smiled.

"Um, no we're not married… Yet."

Nick shook hands with his boss.

Everyone in the lab had been waiting for it to happen; They all had seem the chemistry and knew it was just a matter of time.

"Way to go!"

Sara gave him a warning glance as she shifted Liz to her right shoulder to burp her.

"Hey guys, what do you say we head down to the gift shop to pick up a few things for Sara and Elizabeth?" Catherine asked.

"But we just got here!" Greg whined as Catherine, Nick and Warrick pushed him out the door.

"Yes, I know. But if you shut up, we'll bring you back," Gil heard Warrick's muffled voice say from outside the window.

He stood and walked over to Sara's bed; Elizabeth had been burped and Gil had expected her to fall asleep but she was still wide awake.

"Hey beautiful," He said to Sara and Elizabeth.

Sara smiled as she sighed; She was quite tired but really didn't want to fall asleep. She wanted to spend as much time as possible with Elizabeth.

"Want me to take her?" Gil asked.

Sara only nodded.

Gil picked the infant up from her mother's arms and slowly began walking around the room; His favorite thing to do when Liz was in his arms.

He had more confidence now that he had held her a few times. He loved talking to her as she wiggled in his arms.

"Liz, you need to settle down. Momma's tired so you have to be quiet," He whispered to the infant as he glanced over at Sara to see if she was still up.

But she was already fast asleep.


	13. Gifts

Sara was once again holding Elizabeth by the time her coworkers returned from the gift shop.

"We got you some stuff," Greg announced, his arms loaded with bags.

Sara's jaw dropped as Warrick and Catherine entered, each carrying the same amount as Greg.

"Guys, we really don't need anymore stuff. I've got everything I need thanks to Catherine!"

"Yes. But does Elizabeth have," Greg dropped all the bags except one and quickly dug through the bag, "This!"

He thrust a small puppy towards Sara; She was very puzzled as to what the item did.

"Erm, what does it do?" Gil and Sara asked in unison.

Greg dropped to his knees with a huge smile on this face.

"I was hoping you'd ask that."

Catherine and Warrick carried their bags over to the couch, where they put down their bags and fell onto the couch themselves.

Greg set the small dog down and turned it on.

It let out a series of small, shrieking barks then without warning, it leapt into the air and did a back flip.

Sara laughed as Elizabeth looked frantically around the room to see what the noise was.

Gil picked the dog up and carried it to Sara's bed; He then laid it down at the foot of the bed and turned it on.

Elizabeth stared intently at the ceiling, completely unaware of her new toy.

"Greg, I think she will love it once she's older," Sara tried to comfort the brokenhearted CSI.

He nodded as he sulked over to a chair in the corner of the room.

"I really didn't mean to hurt his feelings but look at her; She doesn't even know where the noise is coming from," Sara whispered.

Catherine pulled a small bundle out of the bag closest to her; She stood up and walked over to Sara's bed.

"This is for both of you. I think you'll like it," She softly explained before returning to the couch and resting her head on Warrick's strong shoulder.

Sara unwrapped the package and smiled.

It was a pink fleece blanket covered in all sorts of bugs.

"Aw, thanks Cath!"

Sara gently covered Elizabeth up with the blanket.

Warrick sighed.

"Well I would sort out the other stuff but I am dead tired," He said with a yawn.

Gil joined Sara on the bed.

"I think she likes it," He whispered, looking down at Elizabeth who was holding a corner of the blanket in her hand.

He tenderly kissed Sara; She loved it when he kissed her.

The sound of muffled rock music caused them both to look around the room.

Their eyes stopped on Greg, who was still sitting in the corner.

He had earphones covering his ears and was bobbing his head to music that was far too loud.

"Please go tell him to turn it down; If he wakes Liz up I'll throttle him," Sara whispered.

Gil got up from the bed and strode over to the young man and quickly grabbed the MP3 player from his hands, causing the headphones to unplug and the room was silent once again.

"Turn it down or go outside, Greggo. Liz is asleep," Gil told him in a firm but sweet voice.

Greg nodded his apologies to everyone who was still awake, took the device back from Gil and left the room with his cheeks a crimson color.

Sara giggled as she put Liz back into her crib; The infant was a heavy sleeper in her mother's arms but once she was back in her crib she was constantly kick in her sleep and wake up at the slightest sound.

"My turn in the chair. Night sweetie," He whispered to Sara as he sat down in the chair next to her bed.

"Night Gil. Night Liz," She softly said before leaning back on the many pillows behind her and falling asleep.


	14. Feeding Liz

**One Week Later**

"Sara Elizabeth Grissom, today you are one week and four days old," Sara happily announced to Liz as she removed her from her crib.

The days had gone by fast; A little too fast for Sara.

"You get to go home today. You can see your very own crib and your toys, everything. Are you happy?" Sara continued talking to the infant.

She held Liz close to her chest as she got up from her bed and walked over to the sink.

"Hungry? I thought so," She whispered as she popped a bottle into the microwave.

Liz kicked enthusiastically and Sara stifled a giggle.

Gil, Catherine and Warrick were still asleep; Gil in the chair next to Sara's bed and Catherine resting her head on Warrick's shoulder.

"Here you go."

Sara very gently held the nipple of the bottle close to Liz's mouth and smiled as she locked her pink lips around it.

She slowly paced the room, shifting her eyes from her baby to her surroundings.

It was almost completely silent.

The only noises were Liz's hungry sucking sounds and an occasional groan from Gil.

Sara glanced down as her foot hit something hard; The dog Greg had purchased last week.

She realized that Greg hadn't been sleeping in the room with his colleagues; Perhaps because there was no room or he was still upset that Sara had said Liz wasn't old enough for the toy.

"Piggy," She whispered to Elizabeth as the infant finished the bottle.

Sara shifted Liz to her shoulder to burp her.

"Honey, please don't eat Mommy's hair," She groaned and separated the baby from her shoulder as she tried to get the hair out of Liz's mouth.

"Hold still and I'll help."

Sara spun around to find Gil standing a few feet behind her.

He smiled at Elizabeth and gently pulled the hair from her mouth.

"There. Now don't do that again," He tickled her rosy cheek.

Sara grinned as he walked over to Sara's bed and flopped down on it.

She had tried to convince the trio to go home and sleep but only Warrick and Catherine had agreed; They still came everyday to visit Liz and Sara.

They usually went home after a few hours but this time they had fallen asleep on the couch before being able to go home.

And Gil; He had refused to leave the hospital for anything other than going home to collect a fresh outfit.

"You really should go home," She said as she moved around the room, trying to burp Liz.

Then she remembered.

They were going home today; All of them. Sara, Gil and Elizabeth.

"Gil!" She said much louder than intended.

Warrick shifted in his sleep while Catherine let out a snore.

"We're going home today!"

He sat up as fast as he had laid down; They were going home?

"I have a lot to do," He frantically stated, getting out of the bed and scrambled around the room looking for his other shoe.

Sara put her free hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, take Cath and Warrick with you; I'm sure they will help with whatever you think needs done."

Liz finally burped as Sara finished her sentence.

"What does need done?" She asked as she placed the infant into her crib.

Gil was now tying his shoe as quickly as he could.

"I have to pick up all those toys and clean and go grocery shopping!"

Sara smiled as Liz began chewing on her favorite corner of the blanket Catherine had bought; She did it every night after eating.

"I'll help," She offered.

Gil immediately shook his head; He didn't want her to have to do anything.

"No. Catherine and Warrick can help me. You just relax and I'll see when we can leave," He called as he exited the room.

Sara angrily sighed; She had been cooped up in the hospital for over a wek and quite frankly, she was sick of it.

She was glad that Elizabeth was healthy and doing well, but she was bored out of her mind.

She was over the moon that they were finally going home and she didn't have to be bored for another day.

"Sar, we can leave anytime after noon; Wendy's going to come over in a bit and talk to you. Catherine wake up! I'll be back later," He smiled as he pulled Catherine and Warrick to their feet; That was rather impressive to Sara as Warrick was slightly stronger than Gil and Catherine never wanted to wake up.

But somehow he managed to get them both awake and out the door.

"Liz, Mommy's bored. Do something funny," She grinned at the infant.

Liz simply kicked her legs a few times.

"Hon, that trick is getting old," Sara said with a laugh.


	15. Going Home

"Sara are you ready?" Gil asked as he looked around the room one last time to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything.

His arms were loaded with bags from the gift shop and things from the hospital; They had even given the couple a new car seat for Elizabeth!

"I think so," Sara replied with a hint of nervousness in her voice. As much as she wanted to go home, she also wanted to stay in the hospital; That way the nurses could tell her if she was doing something wrong.

She lifted car seat Liz was strapped into and peaked under the blanket that was covering it so no cold air got in; Liz was holding onto the plush butterfly Warrick had bought her.

"Let's go," She smiled.

Wendy, Sara's favorite nurse, wished them good luck and helped them make sure Liz's car seat was securely fastened before waving them off.

Gil eagerly climbed into the driver's seat while Sara got in the back of the Tahoe to sit with Elizabeth.

"Are you sure we didn't forget anything?" He asked one last time.

Sara shot him a warning glance and he started the car as quickly as possible.

The drive to Sara's apartment was eventful; Gil refused to go above 15 miles per hour and at every stop sign he turned around to make sure everything was okay.

When Liz began coughing half a block away from the apartment, Gil slammed on the breaks.

"What's wrong with her? Should we go back?" He frantically asked; Normally he wasn't this nervous.

Sara removed the blanket and they both peered into the car seat.

"She's fine. Look, she's smiling," Sara reassured Gil.

After letting out a sigh of relief, he began driving again.

He pulled into the first empty space he saw outside the apartment.

"We're here!" He announced happily.

Sara unbuckled her seatbelt first then did the same to the one holding Liz's car seat in place.

She got out of the vehicle and carefully pulled the car seat out after her.

"Liz, we're here," Sara whispered to the infant.

Gil lead the way up to Sara's apartment, unlocked the door and gestured for Sara to enter.

Groceries covered the small island in the kitchen; Everything from bananas to baby formula.

Sara gasped; She never had groceries and because she hated going to the grocery store, most of the time she ate out. She was happy to see she wouldn't have to do that.

"Let's take her into the nursery," Gil said.

Sara followed him back to the room, removing the blanket covering the car seat so Liz could see her new living situation.

Sara lifted the car seat up onto her bed and unbuckled the infant.

After looking around the room with a huge smile, Sara lifted Elizabeth out of the seat and carried her over to the white crib.

"She looks happy," Gil smiled.

He was so glad to be home.

He watched as Sara gently laid squirming Elizabeth down in her crib and turned on the mobile.

She stood there for quite a while, just watching Liz look around; Watching Liz always made Sara feel better.

This time it seemed to make her nervousness vanish.

Gil walked up beside Sara and wrapped his arm around her slender shoulders; He had waited a long time to stand there with her and look down at their daughter.

"Sar, I finally got a ring," He whispered.

Liz's eyes were now closed; Sara suspected the mobile had put her to sleep.

With his free hand Gil took Sara's hand in his and slipped a ring so gorgeous on it that it made Sara gasp.

Liz cooed in her sleep and Gil pulled Sara away from the crib so not to wake the infant.

"Wow. I love it. Of course, I still love you more," She teased before kissing him.

Gil gladly kissed her back; He was happy they could finally kiss without the hospital nurses discreetly watching as they made their rounds.


	16. Sleep

**A/N: I'm sorry for taking so long with this update; I know it's short but oh well, I'm sure I'll live. Enjoy.**

Sara sleepily rubbed her eyes as Liz's shrieking cries filled the once quiet apartment.

She had just fallen asleep after almost twenty five hours of being awake; And as hard as she was trying, her eyes just didn't want to open.

"Shh, quiet Liz. Momma's asleep," She heard Gil whisper as he rolled out of bed to tend to the infant.

She was glad he loved being a father as much as she loved being a mom; It warmed her heart to her him talking to her.

"Alright, let's go see what's wrong," He continued soothing her as he lifted her out of the crib.

Sara really did want to get up and see what was wrong with Liz; But not sleeping for so long had severely affected her.

She wasn't sure why she hadn't slept; Perhaps nerves. Being a new mom was rather stressful and Sara knew that. She just hadn't been prepared for how nerve-racking it would be.

Much to both Sara and Gil's surprise, Liz was a very calm baby.

They had seen infants before who cried for hours and hours on end; Liz wasn't like that. If Gil talked to her while he was making the bed or doing something else, she was fine.

She was perfectly happy just to listen to noises; Sara had discovered that the baby's favorite noise was a rather odd one; Whenever the toilet was flushed, Liz would coo happily and kick like a mad woman.

With a giggle Sara finally managed to get out of bed and stumble out to the kitchen to find her soon to be husband pacing the living room with the fussy baby in his arms.

"I don't know what's wrong. I changed her, fed her, burped her and she's still not happy," Gil explained as he very gently bounced the infant.

"Let me see her," Sara whispered.

Gil handed Liz over and sat down on the couch.

"Hello, sweetie," Sara softly said. "What seems to be the problem?"

Liz kicked for a moment but after growing tired she returned to fussing.

"Liz, momma's tired."

The baby didn't seem to care; She alternated between fussing and cooing happily.

"Let's take her in to bed, okay? She can sleep with us," Gil suggested as he rubbed his eyes.

Sara nodded and started walking toward their bedroom; Gil drowsily followed.

He fell into in bed first; After a long sigh, Sara handed Liz to him while she got into bed.

Once the two were settled, Gil laid Liz down between them; She continued kicking and moving her arms. Gil and Sara watched with smiling faces.

"Night you two," Gil yawned.

Sara simply nodded as she continued watching Liz.

After twenty minutes, they both fell asleep.


	17. Another Morning

**A/N: I know this chapter is really short but the next one is long. Enjoy!**

Sara yawned loudly as she forced her eyes open; She really hadn't slept well the night before, waking up every half an hour in fear that she had rolled onto Liz and was suffocating her.

"Hi, baby!" She smiled to Liz, who was kicking and looking around the room.

The infant cooed at the sound of her mother's voice; Sara really didn't know if Liz knew it was her or if she was thinking "Hey, someone to entertain me!"

Sara sat up and pulled Liz into her arms, snuggling her next to her chest.

"Liz, are you hungry? Momma's hungry. Yes, I am. I'm having cereal and you get formula," She continued talking to the infant.

She was surprised to see Gil standing in the kitchen making breakfast.

"Ah, my two favorite ladies! I'll warm Liz's," He kissed Liz on the forehead," Then I'll make yours." He kissed Sara passionately.

"Whoa, not in front of the child!" She laughed as she shielded Liz's eyes.

Sara sat down at the island in the kitchen and continued talking to Liz.

"Baby, why couldn't you sleep last night? You wanted your momma and daddy? That's it. Please don't eat my clothes," She gently pulled the fabric out of the infant's mouth.

Gil handed Sara a bottle and watched her feed Liz.

He smiled as Sara smiled down at the infant in her arms.

"She's perfect," He thought. "They both are."

With a grin he started on Sara's breakfast; She had only wanted cereal but he thought she needed more.

"Toast, cereal and an orange; Is that okay?" He asked as Liz finished the bottle.

Sara shifted her to her shoulder and began burping her; Something that at first, she had been very frightened of.

She was afraid she would pat Liz's back too hard and injure her; But after a few times she really got the hang of it.

"That sounds perfect. Then you can talk to Liz."

Gil carried the meal over to the island, set it down in front of Sara and lifted the baby from her arms.

"Liz, what should I talk about?" He asked the squirming child.

She cooed happily as her father carried her around the room, searching for the perfect subject.

"Bugs, of course!" Sara answered for Liz.


	18. Mr Mom

Sara quickly finished her cereal and ran over to the couch; Her favorite place to watch Gil walk around with Liz in his arms.

"Something wrong?" He asked quietly.

Liz had fallen asleep in his arms; It didn't happen often, but when it did both Sara and Gil's faces lit up with smiles.

Sara opened her mouth to talk but Gil cut her off.

"Hold that thought," He whispered as he tiptoed toward the bedroom to lay Liz down in her crib.

For some reason that made Sara smile; He was so pleasant all the time.

He returned from the bedroom, arms empty, and joined Sara on the couch.

"What were you going to say?" Gil asked as he draped his arm around her shoulders.

Sara glanced up at him; He didn't look tired like she did.

Dark circles were under her brown eyes, her hair was limp and she was a little bit pale.

"I'm just mad that I'm always so tired. Why aren't you?" She replied in an exhausted tone.

Gil kissed her forehead gently.

"Probably because I'm not the one always holding Liz. You do everything; Feed her, change her, dress her. Let me do some. You could really use the rest."

He traced her jaw bone with his index finger and Sara closed her eyes.

"Okay. I'm going to bed and you are going to take care of Liz. Are you sure you can handle it?" She yawned.

Gil kissed Sara once again before helping her stand up.

"Yes, I can handle everything. Just go to sleep and don't wake up," He whispered as they entered the bedroom.

Sara climbed into the covers and instantly felt like falling asleep; She hadn't been this tired in a long time.

"Night," Gil whispered as he left the room.

Sara nodded a few times before falling into a deep sleep.

**The Next Morning**

Gil opened his eyes and looked around; He was on Sara's couch.

"Liz," He whispered to himself as he jumped up and walked quickly back to the bedroom.

Once he remembered that Sara was asleep, he crept along much more quietly.

He slowly opened the bedroom door and smiled as he heard Liz's happy coos.

As quickly as possible whilst still being quiet, Gil walked over to the crib and lifted the infant out.

"Come on, Liz. Let's go eat," He continued talking to her as she continued cooing.

Sara moaned in her sleep as Gil accidentally stepped on a squeaky spot in the floor; He winced as if someone had slapped him.

"Go back to sleep," He ordered as she began to stir.

After smiling at him, she flopped back onto her pillow and fell asleep again.

"Nice, huh?" He asked Liz.

She replied with a gurgle.

The two made their way out to the kitchen as quietly as possible, but Liz really didn't want to be quiet.

She gurgled and cooed at her loudest; Gil couldn't help but laugh.

"Shh! Momma needs her sleep. Now, you want the blue bottle or the pink?" He asked the squirming infant.

She kicked a few times and cooed happily.

"Pink it is!"

Gil had watched Sara prepare a bottle with one free arm; He had studied her so that sometime he could try it.

Now was that time.

He shifted Liz so his left arm was supporting her entire wriggling body. Then went about making the bottle.

He astounded himself when he realized he had done everything correctly; And that Liz actually drank the bottle when it was done.

"Good girl. You were hungry weren't you?" Gil asked Liz as she sucked down the formula.

He quietly tiptoed back to the bedroom and was very pleased to see that Sara was still asleep.

"Good," He whispered, "She needs it."

Liz finished her bottle and Gil walked back to the kitchen.

He placed the empty bottle on the counter and transferred Liz to his shoulder; Gil could feel the drool dripping from her mouth onto his shirt but he didn't care. A little drool never hurt anyone.

"Liz, are you going to go back to sleep after I change you?"

The infant cooed happily.

Gil returned to the bedroom and changed Liz as quickly as possible; Diapers hardly ever bothered him but for some reason, this time they did.

"Shh. Night, Liz," He kissed the infant on the forehead before laying her down in the crib.

He quietly walked over to Sara and gave her a kiss on the forehead; She sighed in her sleep.

"Night, Sara."

Gil left the room and returned to the living room; He laid down on the couch, covered himself up and before he knew it he was asleep.


	19. Awake and feeling good

**A/N: I'm sorry it takes me so long to update; I'm not really sure what should be in the chapters. If you have a suggestion as to what you would like to see, please leave a review or PM me. WARNING: This chapter is Anti-Sofia; If you like Sofia, you will probably want to skip this chapter. Don't say you weren't warned...**

Sara stretched her arms above her head, hitting the wall and yawned; She had slept incredibly good for once.

"I wonder how long I was asleep," She whispered to herself as she rolled out of bed.

She stumbled over to Liz's crib and was shocked to see the infant wasn't there.

"Gil?" She called as she walked out to the living room, swaying as she went; She really wasn't awake enough to walk.

A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she saw Gil sitting on the couch with Liz in his arms.

"Hi. Did you sleep well?" He asked, glancing up at her as she walked over to the couch.

Sara nodded.

"Yeah. Really good; I was worried when I didn't see Liz in her crib," She turned to the baby, "Hi sweetie! Momma is going to hold you when Daddy is done."

Gil smiled lovingly at Sara; He couldn't form the words to explain how much of a good mother she was.

"Well Mommy can hold you now and I will go make breakfast."

He handed Liz to Sara, who eagerly accepted the child.

Just as he stood up to go to the kitchen, a knock came from the door.

Sara and Gil looked at each other with quizzical stares.

With a shrug, he half jogged to the door and opened it.

"Hi!" Catherine greeted as Gil let her in.

Sara carefully stood up and walked over to her.

"Hi! How are you?" She asked as Catherine gave her a hug.

"I'm good," She replied, gazing down at Liz, who for once was not kicking up a storm.

"Oh my God, she is so adorable!"

Sara beamed; She felt the same way.

"So what's up?" Sara asked as she led the way over to the couch; Liz had begun kicking again and it was getting rather difficult to hold her.

The two plopped down on the sofa while Gil started breakfast; Cereal for Sara, as it was her favorite and eggs for him.

"I wanted to see if Gil could come in to the lab tonight. Just for a while; We've been a little shorthanded," She said with a hint of happiness in her voice.

Sara cocked her head to one side but didn't ask about Catherine had just said.

She was placing pillows around squirming Liz; The infant was laying on the couch. She had been wiggling far too much so Sara decided to let her wear herself out, under careful watch of course.

"Why have you been understaffed?" Sara inquired.

Catherine sat up a little straighter.

"Greg and Warrick have been sick; They each have the flu. During their shift when it was a slow night, they were playing video games and couldn't stop coughing and sneezing. So I sent them home," She took a deep breath. "And Sofia got fired."

Sara's eyebrows shot up and Gil dropped the spatula he had been using.

"Fired?" Sara repeated in astonishment.

She had never gotten along with Sofia; From the first day they met, Sara knew they were enemies.

Sofia was constantly flirting with Gil; It pissed Sara off. She knew she shouldn't be mad because she and Gil had not been a couple at the time, but she also knew that Sofia was damaging her chances.

"Yep. She kept flirting with everybody; Oh and she missed a huge piece of evidence on a murder case," Catherine giggled.

Sara absent mindedly tickled Liz's feet.

"Really? What kind of evidence?"

Catherine giggled some more.

"She and Nicky had been working a scene and Nick had to keep bending over to pick up evidence; She missed the murder weapon because she was staring at his ass!"

Sara's jaw dropped and Gil was sniggering uncontrollably.

"She actually said that?" Sara asked, still not believing her ears.

"Yeah! Ecklie was talking to her about it and she came right out and said it! Nick was embarrassed for days…"

"Oh my God," Sara laughed.

"That's what I thought. She wasn't doing her job so he fired her."

Catherine wiped her eyes as she glanced down at Liz.

"May I hold her? She's so cute," She asked Liz wrapped her hand around Catherine's index finger.

"Yeah, go ahead," Sara replied as she stood up and walked over to Gil, who was just finishing his eggs.

"Hey, I wasn't sure if you'd want your breakfast now or later," He mumbled with his mouth half full.

"It's okay, I can make it myself," She pulled a bowl out of the cupboard directly in front of her. "Thanks so much for taking care of Liz. I really enjoyed my sleep."

Gil swallowed his mouthful as he jumped up from his seat; He pulled Sara into his arms and kissed her passionately.

"You are very welcome."


	20. Stressed

**A/N: WOW! 20 chapters! I can't believe it! I was sitting here looking over my work and many memories flooded mymind; How distraught I looked after trying to correct my horrible mistakes, lying in bed at night and trying to figure out the next chapter. I could go on for hours but I'll let you get to the story. Enjoy!**

**One Month Later**

Sara stood in the kitchen washing the dishes; Away from Liz and work, the dishes were her favorite thing to do. She could be alone with her thoughts and she really liked having soft hands.

Liz, who was still napping, had turned one month and two weeks old a few hours ago.

For Sara, the time had flown.

She scrubbed absentmindedly at a dish as she remembered everything that had occurred in the last few months.

The big one of course was Liz's birth; A smile spread on Sara's face as she remembered how nervous she had been while feeding the newborn infant.

She recalled staring at Liz for hours on end and not growing bored; The infant wiggled aimlessly, kicking at the air and sucking on whatever she could get in her mouth.

When the team had visited, the loads of gifts had shocked her; She made sure they were placed in the nursery along with all of Liz's other possessions.

Liz's small cries jolted Sara from her thoughts.

"Hold on Liz. I'll be right there!" Sara called to the infant as she dried her hands off.

After six weeks, she was still a little unsure of her motherhood abilities; Whenever she doubted herself Gil was right there, telling her she was doing everything perfectly, like he knew what he was talking about or was an old pro at parenting.

"Hey, Liz. What's the problem?" Sara soothed the fussing infant as she lifted her out of the crib and moved her to the changing table.

Sara had to laugh whenever Gil changed Liz's diaper; He always screwed his face up and looked positively sick.

"Daddy can handle nasty bugs but he can't change you. Yes, I know he's weird," Sara continued chatting with the infant.

By the time Sara was done changing Liz, the baby had stopped crying and was now kicking happily as usual.

"Hungry? Let's go get a bottle."

Sara carried Liz out to the kitchen and proceeded to make a bottle; She popped it into the microwave and smiled down at her baby.

"Liz, I think you're going to be a soccer player. Yes. No, don't kick me. Please? All right, fine, kick me, I don't care."

The microwave bell gave a sharp ding and Sara pulled it out.

Upon seeing the bottle Liz settled down; She stopped kicking almost immediately.

"That's what I thought," Sara laughed as she strode over to the sand colored couch.

Just as she sat down, Gil entered.

"Hello ladies!" He smiled, hanging his jacket up on the coat rack.

"Hi. Good day at work?"

Gil bent down and kissed both Sara and Liz.

"Very, although we're still looking for someone to replace Sofia."

Sara opened her mouth to speak but Gil stopped her.

"No, I don't want you to come back yet. Who would take care of Liz?"

She glanced down at Liz for a moment before standing up and following Gil back to the bedroom.

"I don't know," She replied as she took off his dress shirt to replace it with a t-shirt.

"Don't worry about it. How did your day go?"

"Boring, same as usual. No Liz, you weren't boring. Just eat. Hey, Catherine could watch her!" Sara responded, sounding tired at the beginning of her sentence but towards the end she happily exclaimed.

Gil raised one eyebrow, not sure he understood and Sara picked up just were she had left off.

"She works the day shift, I work the night!"

"Yes, but—"

"I'm sure she'd be happy to do it!" Sara continued.

"Okay, but—"

Liz finished off her bottle and Sara set it on the nightstand next to the bed.

As she did so, she realized that Catherine, like herself, usually slept or spent time with her daughter on her days off.

"Never mind," She muttered, picking up the bottle and rushing off the kitchen.

"Sara?"

She spun around to see Gil following her; He had just slipped on the shirt, hiding his semi-chiseled chest.

"Yes? I really need to burp her so please make it quick."

Sara didn't know why she was being so unpleasant to Gil; She loved him.

But she needed to get out of the house for a while.

"Sweetie, I'm sure Catherine would be happy to watch Liz if she didn't have to work all the time; When Liz is a little older, we can find a babysitter," Gil calmly explained.

Sara sighed; She knew he was right.

"Okay."

She turned to walk to the kitchen but Gil stopped her.

"I have an idea," He smiled.

Sara nodded her head, trying to act as if she were interested.

"Let's go out tonight. Whatever you want. I'll burp Liz," He gently removed the infant from Sara's arms without giving her a chance to reply, "And you can call Catherine. Call in a favor. Sound good?"

A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth and after a second, she gave in.

"Okay."

Sara hurried off to the living room to call Catherine and Gil paced the room with Liz in his arms.


	21. The Date and The Fall

**A/N: This chatper is VERY long just to let you know. 2,439 words to be exact. I'm having a blast writing it! Enjoy!**

"Willows."

Sara smiled as she heard Catherine answer the phone.

"Cath, it's Sara. I need a favor. Gil and I want go out to dinner but we need a babysitter," She said very hurriedly.

"I'll be there in just a little while," Catherine replied; The two hung up and Sara couldn't stop smiling.

She was finally going to get out of the house.

She really loved being home with Liz but she had been cooped up for too long; And she needed to get out.

"She'll be here in a while!" Sara called to Grissom, who was in the shower.

She picked Liz up out of her crib with a grin; The infant kicked happily and Sara didn't know if she recognized her mother or if she was just happy to be getting attention.

"Yes she will. Aunt Catherine is going to take care of you while daddy and I go out," She shared with Liz.

Suddenly and shockingly, Gil appeared behind her and kissed the back of her neck, causing her to jump.

"Oh! God Gil! What the hell is wrong with you? I could have dropped her!" Sara exclaimed as she took a deep breath.

He laughed as he slipped his black t-shirt over his head; Once it had covered his torso, he wrapped his arms around Sara and kissed her on the cheek.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you; You said Catherine will be here in a little bit?"

Sara nodded her head; Her heart was racing and not because Gil had frightened her.

She had realized that she would be leaving Liz alone with someone for the first time since her birth.

Thoughts flew through her mind as she rushed out to the kitchen, Liz still in her arms, in search of a pad of paper and a pen.

"Sar? What's wrong?" Gil called from the bedroom. "You probably ought to get dressed."

Sara looked down at her clothes and remembered she was still wearing the shirt Liz had spit up on and the pants that she had worn whilst cleaning, and spots of dust appeared all over them.

"Okay, just give me a minute!" She replied.

Clicking the pen open, she frantically started writing down instructions; When to change Liz, when to feed her, everything.

Just as she completed the list, a knock came from the door.

"Shit," Sara muttered under her breath and Liz looked up at her mother, eyes wide in horror as if she understood what the word meant.

"Don't look at me like that," She whispered to the infant then called in a louder voice, "I'll be right there!"

She rushed to the door, threw it open and was shocked to see not only Catherine, but Catherine and Greg.

"Wha—What's going on?" She asked.

Sara noticed Greg's eyes shoot to Liz; He was obviously very fascinated with the infant.

Catherine pulled the lab-tech turned CSI into the apartment with a sigh.

"He pulled up as I was getting ready to leave my house; I couldn't just leave him there! He looked all sad so I told him he could help me this evening," Catherine explained hastily.

Sara looked deeply confused; Greg? Help babysit her daughter?

"Catherine, I'm not so sure that's a good idea. Remember the puppy?" Sara asked, referring to the small barking plush dog Greg had purchased for Liz.

He had been heartbroken when Sara informed him that she wasn't old enough to play with it.

"Sara I'm going to keep a very watchful eye," She glanced at him warningly, "On him. There is no need to worry."

Sara looked from Catherine to Greg and decided she would have both of their asses if anything happened; She knew nothing was likely to go wrong but with Greg around, you really couldn't be so sure.

"Okay," She sighed in defeat. "Will you take her? I have to get dressed."

Catherine accepted Liz into her arms; Greg followed her over to the couch, waiting quietly for his turn to hold her.

Sara rushed off to the bedroom; Her outfit was already laid out on the bed and she began stripping her clothes off as soon as she entered the room.

"Something wrong?" Gil asked as he messed with his hair.

Sara threw her shirt and pants into the bathroom and began putting on the jeans and t-shirt she had selected.

"Greg's here."

Gil froze, his hand seemed stuck in midair.

"Greg? What the hell for?"

Sara quickly buttoned her pants and noted she had never gotten dressed faster in her life.

"To "help" Catherine babysit."

Gil shook his head in a confused matter and sighed.

"Ready?"

The two walked out to the living room and couldn't help but smile.

Catherine was helping Greg support Liz's tiny body; He looked as nervous as Sara felt.

"Sara, Grissom! Look! I'm doing it and she's not crying!" Greg eagerly exclaimed.

Liz was staring fixedly at Greg's spiky hair; She stretched her arm out a few times as if she wanted to pull some out.

"Greg, watch your hair. She will pull it out," Catherine gently reminded him.

"Well, we're off," Gil smiled.

Sara strode over to Greg and bent down and kissed Liz on the forehead several times.

"I'll be back later; I mean, we'll be back later. Bye, Liz," Sara called as Gil tenderly took around of her arm just above her elbow and guided her out the door.

Catherine waved at them, still seated on the couch.

"Okay, I'll take her and you can watch TV," She announced to Greg.

He was still looking down at Liz with a goofy grin on his face.

"Aw, look at her! She's so cute! Can I hold her a little while longer? Please?" He cooed.

Catherine nodded, a slightly amused looked covering her face.

She pulled a book out of her purse and began reading.

Just as she had finished reading her second sentence, Liz began fussing.

"What'd I do?" Greg inquired in an alarmed voice.

Catherine pushed the book back into her purse and held out her arms.

"Give her here, she's probably hungry or tired."

Greg whined as he handed Liz to Catherine; Neither of them seemed to notice nor care.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" She asked, standing up from the couch and slowly started walking around the room.

After a few moments of silence, she motioned to Greg with her head.

"You are going to make a bottle," She ordered him.

He looked shocked, but sauntered into the kitchen.

"The cupboard just above the sink, get the formula. Now get a bottle; No, it doesn't matter which one. See that scoop? You want one of those filled with the formula," She explained.

He very slowly followed her instructions, making sure he did everything just right.

Catherine nodded encouragingly as Greg placed the bottle into the microwave.

"Just a little longer, Liz," She soothed the infant.

After what seemed like eternity, the microwave timer went off.

Greg eagerly pulled the bottle out and handed it to Catherine.

"Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" She asked.

Greg shook his head.

"No."

"Would you like to try?" Catherine asked.

Greg looked intimidated for a moment, but finally responded with a nod.

Once again he followed her over to the couch and they both sat down.

"Okay, I'll hold the bottle for a moment while you take her," Greg gently took Liz into his arms, "And now just kinda tickle her lips with the nipple. Why are you laughing? Oh, grow up! There you go and just make sure you hold it so that there aren't any air bubbles down towards the lid," She explained.

Greg once again followed her instructions to perfection; Not usually something he accomplished outside of the lab.

Liz continued to suck happily on the bottle and Greg could feel Catherine following his every move.

"Why doesn't anyone trust me?" He blurted.

Catherine turned to him with a puzzled look on her face; What the hell was he talking about?

"Sara doesn't trust me to watch Liz. Did you see the look she gave me?"

She sighed and rested her hand on his shoulder.

"Sara's just… Sara. She can't trust anyone right away and you know that," She smiled.

"Yeah? Why does she trust you?" Greg asked feeling slightly hurt.

"I went shopping with her, we hung out. I'm not really sure why she trusts me; But I think in time, she'll trust you too."

Liz cooed loudly to signify she had finished her bottle; Greg had just shifted Liz to his shoulder when Catherine stopped him.

"You might want to let me do that unless you want to smell like baby spit up," Catherine smiled.

He grinned back at her and handed Liz to her.

"Thanks Cath. I'd be sad if I ruined my Stones shirt," He replied.

She laughed quietly as she paced the room; As she burped Liz, she couldn't help but think of how Sara and Gil were doing.

**Henry's Diner**

"How has the evening been so far?" Gil asked as he sipped his coffee.

Sara picked at her salad; She was really enjoying herself but she couldn't help but think of Liz.

"I'm having a blast. How do know about this place?" She asked, motioning around the diner with her right hand.

Gil swallowed some more coffee and sighed; He was so glad Sara was enjoying herself.

"I was on my way to your house one day and I took a wrong turn. Don't laugh, I'm serious! And I saw it and came in for some coffee."

Sara had to admit that she had been reluctant to even entire the diner; The outside was shiny silver color and all looked okay until you looked at the bottom of the would-be trailer; It was rusty and filthier than anything Sara had ever seen.

But once inside, the transformation was incredible.

Almost sparkling white walls, green bar stools at the counter and red booths everywhere else. It looked like something right out of the 50's.

"Interesting. Well, I'm full. Now where are we going?"

Gil furrowed his brow for a moment then smiled.

"Movies, perhaps? Or would you like to go shopping?"

Sara looked surprised; Shopping with Gil?

"Shopping sounds good; We can pick up some groceries then maybe some clothes or movies or something."

Gil stood up from the booth first and left to pay the bill; Sara walked after him but as soon as she reached him, he motioned they could leave.

Sara stepped out first and glanced around the street; Cars were bustling about and children's shrieks of laughter echoed from across the road.

"Sara watch out!" Gil called to her, but it was too late.

She had tripped over a large rock lying just by the Denali's tire and fell, face first into the gravel.

Gil was instantly by her side.

"Sara, are you okay? Tell me what hurts."

She was still lying on the ground, with dirt on her face; And suddenly she felt pain searing up her leg.

"God, my ankle! Ow," She moaned as she twisted to see what was wrong.

Gil very carefully picked her up in his arms, opened the SVU's door and placed her in the passenger seat.

"I think we need to go to the hospital," He said quietly whilst examining her ankle.

Sara bit her lip to stifle her moans; She did not want to go to the hospital.

"No, let's just go home and I'll put some ice on it. Please? I don't want to go to the hospital again," She whispered, fearing if she spoke any louder she would burst into tears.

Gil nodded as he closed her door and rushed around to the other side of the vehicle.

Quickly starting the car up, he heading for the apartment as fast as he could without getting pulled over.

They came to a stop sign and Gil snuck a sideways glance at Sara; She was staring out of her window.

He sighed again and kept driving.

"Oh no," He heard Sara whisper.

He came to a stop once again.

"What?"

"I'm leaking," She softly replied.

Gil didn't seem to understand, so Sara motioned to the two dark circles on the front of her shirt.

"Oh. I thought you weren't… breastfeeding?"

Sara crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm not; But I've been pumping it because I read it's better healthier for babies. It's better than that formula crap; But then yesterday my breasts starting hurting really bad while you weren't there so I had to use formula!" She sobbed.

Gil didn't know what to do; Sara was obviously upset but he had never done well with emotional women.

"Wh—Why are you crying?"

"Because now she's going to be dumb!" Sara wailed, hiding her face in her hands.

Gil brushed his hand up and down Sara's back as he pulled into the first empty parking spot outside of the apartment.

"Sara, just because Liz has to drink formula for a while doesn't mean she's going to be dumb. Honey it's okay. Let's go inside," He soothed.

Sara managed to compose herself in the time it took Gil to get out and walk around to her side of the SVU.

He opened her door and once again, very carefully carried her into the apartment building; He couldn't believe how light she was. As he walked up the stairs with Sara in his arms in silence, he noted to remind her to eat more often.

When they reached the apartment, Gil kicked the door a few times and called out "Cath or Greg, open the door!"

Sara buried her face in Gil's chest as the door opened.

Catherine looked shocked to see Gil carrying Sara but the brunette was more shocked when she peeked out and saw Greg confidently pacing the floor with Liz in his arms; And he was apparently talking to her.

"What happened?" Catherine asked as Gil laid Sara down on the couch.

"She tripped and," He lowered his voice so only Catherine could hear, "And had a little bit of a breakdown."

Catherine nodded.

"Gil? Can you carry me to the bedroom? I really hate to ask but I need to change my clothes," Sara hoarsely asked.

He nodded and picked her back up; Sara motioned for Catherine to follow.

Once inside the bedroom and Sara was lying on the bed, still wearing her dirty clothes, she asked Gil to leave her and Catherine alone for a little while.

Gil left the room and closed the door; What followed made him wonder what was wrong.

Sara's muffled sobs could be heard along with Catherine muttering calmly.


	22. Back on her feet

"Catherine, I don't know what's wrong with me!" Sara moaned; Her face was still slightly covered in dirt, the only clear spots were from her eyes down her cheeks as she had been crying. She was clutching an ice bag to her ankle, which she had pulled toward her and had placed it in her lap.

"What do you mean sweetie? Nothing is wrong with you."

Sara scoffed.

"Yeah. I'm sitting here, all filthy, scared my only child is going to be stupid when she grows up! I can't stop crying; It's all falling apart…"

Catherine stroked Sara's arm, doing her best to calm her down.

She remembered going through something similar after Lindsay was born; But it had been because she had no money and no husband to help her raise their daughter.

"Sara, listen to me. It's going to be fine; Liz going to be smart. Hell, she already is! Everything is going to be fine," She soothed.

Sara sniffled quietly.

"Thanks Cath," She mumbled, pulling Catherine into a hug.

"Okay. Shall I send Gil in?" She asked.

Sara nodded.

Once Catherine had gone, Sara let out an exasperated sigh.

How could she have been so thick? She knew that Liz wasn't going to be stupid, after all she was Gil's child.

Gil entered cautiously.

"I'll get you some fresh clothes," He whispered, mostly to himself, and hurried over to the dresser and pulled out a pair of comfortable looking pants and a shirt.

"Thanks. I'm sorry about earlier," She whispered.

Gil gently pulled her shirt off and noticed her sigh in relief as the pressure of the shirt left her chest area.

"God, that feels so much better."

Gil chuckled as he slipped the clean, much looser shirt over her head.

"I do hope you can change your pants yourself?" He asked in an amused tone.

Sara looked mock-hurt but laughed.

"I think if you can pull the old ones off I can manage to get the new ones on."

Gil immediately rushed to the foot of the bed as Sara unbuttoned her pants; He ever so carefully pulled them off.

Sara winced as her injured ankle was wiggled around.

"I'm sorry, I tired to make it as painless as possible," He apologized.

Sara simply shook her head.

"No matter."

Gil was very surprised to see her slip her pants on faster than he had removed the old ones.

"Okay, now that that is done, where is Liz?" She inquired.

Gil hastily moved back up to the side of the bed but Sara once again shook her head in protest.

"No, I can make it out there!"

Gil's eyebrows shot up as Sara very slowly stood up from the bed.

As much of her weight as possible, he noticed, was on her good leg.

She hobbled toward the living room with him in hot pursuit; As she entered the living room, they both saw Greg was still moving about the room with Liz in his arms.

"Sara are you okay?" He asked, finally tearing his eyes away from the infant.

"Yeah, I'm fine. May I have her back?" She inquired, giggling slightly.

Greg looked reluctant for a moment and Sara noticed.

"You can come visit her, you know."

A smile crossed his freckled face and he waited for Sara to sit down on the couch before passing Liz to her.

"Hi, baby! Oh, missed you so much!" She cooed happily.

Catherine, Greg and Grissom all tiptoed to the door, leaving Sara still chatting gleefully with Liz.

"Here," He whispered, handing each of them thirty dollars.

Catherine opened her mouth to protest while Greg pocketed his money.

"No, Catherine. You babysat and for that you get paid. Now put the money in your purse. And have a pleasant evening," He added with a smile and returned to Sara and Liz.

While Greg and Catherine quietly left, Gil prepared a bottle for Liz.

Liz's happy coos made him look over at the two.

He found it amazing how fast a combination of Liz and Catherine's kind words had drastically changed Sara's mood.

She had gone from crying and having a breakdown to laughing and talking to Liz within a matter of minutes.

He pulled the bottle out of the microwave and strode over to the two.

"Ah, you read my mind," Sara smiled up at him.

After she had offered the bottle to Liz, she pulled Gil down onto the couch with her free hand.

"I really am sorry about earlier. I don't know what was wrong with me," She apologized.

Gil affectionately kissed her cheek, then moving to her mouth.

"It's fine," He mumbled between kissing and checking on Liz, who was below him in Sara's arms.

"But I think we should talk about the wedding."


	23. Nightmare

Sara began gently bouncing Liz up and down; She had completely forgot about the wedding.

"Um, okay," She forced a smile.

Gil knew that she hadn't remembered; He wasn't angry, he was just hurt.

He had finally found the courage to ask Sara to marry him, and she had forgotten about the wedding.

"What do you have him mind?" She asked softly; She turned her head toward the window and saw the sun reflecting off of her unshed tears.

He could tell she was sorry and it pained him to see her near tears again.

"Well, I was thinking a small wedding. Not $70,000 just so we can say 'I do'; Possibly the team, you know, Nick, Greg, Warrick and Catherine. And of course, Liz," Gil beamed at their daughter who was looking around the room as if she had never been in it before.

Sometimes it scared her how much she and Gil were alike; They didn't want a big wedding, both enjoyed work far too much and they were both bookworms, just to name a few.

"That sounds great. But when? We'll have to wait until I can walk normally," Sara giggled, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Gil nodded.

"Okay. Sar, I really think you should go to the hospital."

"I'll be fine," She retorted.

She had been stuck in a hospital for a little over a week when Liz had been born and those had been the most boring days of her life.

And she wasn't about to repeat them; Even if she only had to be there for a few hours.

"Okay, it's your decision. I'll go put Liz down so you can get some sleep."

Gil stood up and held out his arms, waiting for Sara to pass Liz to him.

After sighing angrily for no apparent reason, she gently handed the infant to him.

"Thank you. Now, go to sleep please," He whispered as he left the room.

Sara flung herself back on the couch after making sure her ice bag wasn't going anywhere; Thoughts swirled throughout her mind.

What would the wedding be like? Would she look okay?

Deciding now wasn't the time to think about feelings, she closed her eyes and almost instantly fell asleep.

Gil emerged from the bedroom with a smile.

"Liz is a—" He stopped his sentence when he saw Sara was asleep.

Her chest rose and fell with breath and occasionally she moved around a little.

Gil smiled as she frowned in her sleep; He didn't know why it was funny, it just was.

"Ow," Sara mumbled in her sleep.

At first, Gil didn't notice anything wrong; She was probably just having a nightmare.

But then her cries became desperate; He could tell she was scared just by listening to her murmuring.

"No, please! Leave us alone! No…"

Swallowing hard, he rushed to her side; He grabbed her shoulders and gently shook her awake.

"Sara, wake up. Honey, it's just a bad dream. I'm here, just wake up," He soothed.

Sara quickly opened her eyes at the sound of his voice; She was hyperventilating and looking around frantically.

"Sar? What do you need?" He asked softly.

"I-I… Where's Liz?" She managed between breaths.

Gil joined her on the couch and pulled her onto his lap.

"She's asleep in her crib; She's fine, honey. What's wrong?"

Sara's breathing slowed gradually; She felt as if someone had been sitting on her chest then stood up, relieving the pressure.

"The nightmare, it was horrible. I have to see her," She softly replied as she stood up from the couch.

"Sar, your ankle," Gil whispered. "Let me help you."

He stood up and wrapped his arm around her back, placing it next to her hip and took a step forward.

Sara looked at him for a moment then followed.

The two continued walking, Gil taking a step then Sara, until they reached the bedroom.

She left his steadying hand and tottered over to Liz's crib; A sigh of relief escaped her dried lips as she saw Liz lying in the crib, asleep.

Her bottom lip trembled with each intake of breath; Gil noticed this quickly and guided her away from the crib.

"Sara, please tell me what's wrong," He softly pleaded.

She closed her eyes, holding back tears that had formed upon dreaming the nightmare.

"I dreamt… that someone took her," She choked.

She suppressed a sob and Gil took that as his cue; He picked up just as he had done earlier and carried her out to the living room.

"It's okay. You saw her, she's asleep. No one took her," He quietly calmed Sara.

She shook her head in agreement.

"I know! But it looked so real and we couldn't help her. It scared me," She sobbed.

Gil stroked Sara's back silently while she cried into his chest.

He didn't know why Sara was so sad, but he knew he had to help her stop it.


	24. Cowboys and laughs

"Sara, why are you so sad?" Gil blurted.

"No sense in beating around the bush," He thought to himself; Something was wrong with Sara and he needed to know what.

"What-What's wrong with me?" She repeated. "Nothing that I know of."

"Why are you so sad all the time?"

Sara brushed the few strands of hair out of her face; Was he serious?

"I'm not sure," She lied.

In all honestly, Sara knew why she was sad. She felt trapped. Like caring for Liz was all she was ever going to do; She didn't mind caring for her, but she needed to do other things once in a while.

Gil gave Sara a disbelieving look and she knew she would have to tell him.

"I need to get out of the house more often," She exclaimed.

Gil didn't react at first; Sara didn't know what that meant and she wasn't sure if she wanted to know.

"Okay."

Sara pursed her lips; 'Okay'?

"Um, okay? You… you don't think I'm a bad mother?" Sara whispered.

Gil's jaw dropped slightly, causing him to resemble a fish out of water.

"Bad mother? Shit, Sara, you're an awesome mother! What would cause you to think that you aren't a good mom?"

Sara looked away from him for a moment; She knew it was stupid.

"I don't know. I just felt like one."

Gil kissed Sara before answering.

"Listen to me. You are not a bad mother. In fact, I think you're the best mom I've ever seen!"

Sara blushed; Gil was a lifesaver.

"Thanks," She kissed him happily, "I don't know what I'd do without you."

He kissed her back with an equal amount of passion.

"You're welcome. How's your ankle?"

They both glanced at Sara's left ankle; The swelling had gone down but the purple/blackish color hadn't.

"That really isn't healthy," Gil informed Sara.

"No, really? I thought all ankles looked the same," She replied, the familiar sarcasm Gil had grown used to was showing once again.

"I love you," He smiled.

Sara grinned back; Her mood had changed in what had to be a record time. She felt like laughing and having a good time.

"Love you too."

A crimson shade took over her cheeks; A rather immature thought had just bounded into her mind, causing her to blush rather severely.

"What?" Gil asked as he kissed her neck.

"Nothing. It's not important."

But the more she thought about it, the more she felt like laughing.

"Tell me what it is," He pressed, still favoring one spot on her neck.

"No! I can't!" She exclaimed.

"Please?"

"You won't laugh?" She inquired.

Normally, her thoughts and feeling hardly ever left her mind; But if Gil insisted he know…

"I swear I won't," He promised solemnly.

"Okay. I just thought it'd be funny if I said," She sighed, "Would… you make-out with me."

Gil did his best to stifle his laughter but after a few seconds he wasn't able and burst out laughing, very clearly amused.

"Not fair!" Sara shouted but clamped her hand over her mouth as she remembered that Liz was sleeping a mere room away. "You said you wouldn't laugh."

Gil's face was now red from laughing so hard; He had to take several deep breaths before replying.

"I know and for that I apologize. But I wasn't expecting it to be so funny!"

Sara showed her best mock-hurt look.

"Well, if that's how you want play. I think your Roy Roger's letter is hysterical!"

Gil immediately stopped chuckling.

"Why? I wanted to replace it!"

"I know; But you are far too old to be collecting letters from cowboys," Sara replied.

"King of the cowboys!" Gil corrected.

"I rest my case."

Sara kissed Gil once before getting up from the couch and hobbling to the hallway that led to the bedroom.

"I'm sorry; Please forgive me. Are you coming to bed? Please?" Sara asked.

Gil nodded, a smile on his face, and followed her.

"He is the King of the Cowboys, you know," Gil whispered with the smile still donning his face as they entered the bedroom.

"You're weird," Sara replied with a grin.


	25. Out for dinner

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I love them, especially yours, jtbwriter! Thanks and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Eight Months Later**

Sara sat on the edge of the couch, folding baby clothes; Liz, nearly ten months old now, was lying on the floor on her favorite bug covered blanket, rolling about and cooing.

The months had flown for Sara; One moment Liz was wearing incredibly tiny outfits, so small Sara often doubted whether or not they would fit and the next she was growing at an alarming pace and frequently talked to herself; Nonsense words of course.

"Liz, you need to stop growing. Just for a little while. Momma's missing her tiny baby," Sara smiled as she lifted the infant from the floor.

She cooed happily upon seeing her mother; Liz and Sara were practically inseparable.

The only time they were apart was when Sara went to work for a few hours.

She only worked a maximum of four hours; Gil had insisted.

Catherine was often the one who watched Liz when Sara went to the lab; Sometimes Greg, Warrick and Nick tagged along, at separate times, to sharpen up their 'baby skills'.

Liz didn't seem to mind. She loved attention but she was sure to let everyone know when enough was enough.

"I wonder when Daddy will be home. He's taking us out to dinner. You still have to eat formula."

Liz gave a small cry and Sara laughed.

"I know you don't like it; But the doctor said you have to have it because the good food makes Mommy sore. I know it's sad, but please don't cry," Sara soothed the fussing infant.

Right at that moment, Gil entered the apartment.

"Hello ladies. Ready for dinner?"

Sara gently bounced Liz up and down, trying to calm her.

"I am, but she's a little cranky," She replied in a soft tone.

Gil dropped his keys on the island and rolled up his sleeves, for what reason, Sara didn't know.

"Let me see the baby," He cooed.

Liz cried softly as Gil rocked her in his arms; He whispered a lullaby as she sucked on her fingers and he sighed.

"I think she's hungry."

Sara nodded as she slipped her coat on.

"No shit. I'll feed her on the way to the diner so maybe she'll sleep and we can have a normal meal," She laughed.

Gil chuckled as he slipped the infant into her car seat and secured all the buckles.

"All right, then. Let's go."

**Henry's Diner**

Gil and Sara ordered their food as Liz chewed contentedly her rubber teether; Sara found it odd that Liz always chewed on it even though she wasn't teething.

"I've been meaning to ask you, why do you always say "Hello ladies," when you come home from work?" Sara asked as she tickled Liz's feet.

The infant showed no signs of falling asleep; She often gave a loud shriek of happiness whenever Sara smiled.

"Well, you both are ladies and you're supposed to say hello when you see someone you love. She really likes your smile, doesn't she?" He motioned to Liz whose eyes were affixed on her mother's sparking grin.

"I think so."

She beamed down at Liz who squealed with enjoyment; Both Sara and Gil laughed.

"Well she has good taste," Gil whispered.

He gently pulled Sara toward him and kissed her; Liz evidently didn't like sharing her entertainment, for she threw her teether, which went soaring through the air and ended oddly enough on Gil's head.

Sara tried to suppress her laughter but was unable and burst out laughing.

"Oh, you think this is funny? Our own daughter is trying to harm me! Liz, no-no. Bad baby. Do you understand?" Gil asked the infant.

Liz once again shrieking happily, this time it echoed the diner.

"Shh! What have you been teaching her? She's going to be a rebel, with piercings all over her body!"

Sara's face was now red from laughing and tears were forming in her eyes.

"Okay stop before I injure myself. Liz, if I give this back to you, you cannot throw it at Daddy. He's nice, okay? No more throwing," She informed the infant.

A petite waitress known by the name of 'Debbie' appeared by their table, holding a tray containing the couple's food.

"How's Liz today?" Debbie asked in a hoarse voice; She sounded like a smoker but never smelled like the horrible stench of cigarette smoke.

Sara, Gil and Liz had visited the diner more than a few times since Liz's birth.

"She's doing okay. Other than throwing things at me," Gil replied as he unloaded the large tray and handing Sara her usual salad.

"Well, she looks great; Looks like you, Sara."

Sara blushed but didn't answer right away. After swallowing a mouthful of water, she felt an answer was in order.

"Thanks, Debbie. Have a good one," She called to the waitress as she walked away from the table.

"I like it here," Sara announced when the three were alone again.

"Me too," Gil replied, and he leant in to kiss Sara.

Just as they parted, Liz yet again tossed her teether at Gil, leaving a large trail of drool on the side of his face.


	26. Nap Time

"Hey Sara!" Gil called to the brunette; She was in their bedroom putting diapers and things away and Gil was in the living room with Liz.

"Hmm?"

"When she start blabbering nonstop?" He laughed.

Liz was sitting up by herself, playing with a squeaking toy and was 'talking' to it as if it were a real person.

"She's always done that. Remember the cooing? That was talking too," Sara replied as she entered the living room.

She paused a few feet away from her daughter; The infant was indeed blathering incoherently, her brown hair sticking up in various places.

"Hey you," Sara smiled as she picked Liz up. "Kiss?"

Liz puckered her lips out, causing her to resemble a duck with it's beak open; She mumbled something before giving Sara a slobber-filled kiss.

"Thank you, sweetie!" Sara gave Liz a kiss back. "But save the drool for Daddy, okay?"

Liz looked confused for a moment, then pointed at Gil and began excitedly rambling again.

"Yeah go talk to Daddy," Sara laughed, handing Liz over to him.

Liz happily outstretched her arms to Gil; He beamed as she locked her arms around his neck and snuggled up to him.

"What's up?" He asked as he gently ruffled her hair; Her hair really hadn't grown since she had been born, but it was still cute to see Liz sitting on the floor playing with what little hair she had.

Once again, she began talking joyfully and Gil pretended to have an idea of what she was talking about.

Sara strode into the kitchen and prepared Liz's bottle; While it heated up in the microwave, she turned back to watch her fiancé and daughter.

The two seemed very understanding of each other; Gil listened patiently as Liz unintelligibly chatted away and once she paused, he took over.

Talking of everything from bugs to clothes, Sara was enjoying watching them when the timer jolted her from her thoughts.

"Liz, are you hungry?"

Liz clapped her hands with a smile on her face and nodded; Sara handed her the bottle and watched her feed herself.

Her eyes filled with tears but they didn't fall; Gil noticed the sun glittering off of unshed tears almost instantly.

"Sar, what's wrong?"

Sara shook her head, almost as if to rid herself of the tears. Unfortunately, it didn't work.

"I'm just… shocked at how fast she's growing up. I mean, nine months have flown by. Pretty soon she'll be going to school and dating and I want her to stay small!"

Liz glanced up at her mother, then over to her father; She let of the bottle, letting it hang down from her mouth and reached out for Sara.

"Oh, sweetie," Sara lifted Liz up and she instantly rested her head against her mom's shoulder.

Gil joined them, wrapping his arm around both of them.

"She's not going to go up very fast. It just seems like it sometimes. I think that on some days too."

Sara nodded.

"I know. But it seems like we have more fast days than slow days!"

Liz raised her bottle once again and looked at Gil, almost as if to say "Hey Dad, make her feel better!"

"I know, Sara, but look at her. Does that look like the face of a baby who is growing up too fast? Nope, not to me. Look how happy she looks just cuddling with you."

Gil motioned to Liz; Her eyes were fluttering open and shut.

"Okay, you're right. Thanks for putting up with me," Sara kissed Gil, "And now Liz, it's time for your nap."

Sara walked off to the bedroom, talking softly to the infant.

Gil knew better than to follow them; Most of the time Liz became hyper whenever she saw him.

She would start talking and drooling on herself; The drooling really amused Gil. He didn't know why it was so funny to watch his daughter stand in front of him, her eyes never leaving his, and start drooling down her front.

He sat back down on the couch; Sara was right. The past nine months had flown.

Liz had started growing faster, Sara's ankle had healed after nearly two months of her wobbling around, and Gil and Sara had begun planning the wedding.

There really wasn't anything to plan; They just needed a Minister, a church, invitations, a tux and a dress. Nothing the scientists couldn't handle.

"Elizabeth, lie down this instant and take your nap. When you wake up, you can play with Daddy," Gil heard Sara say to the infant in an attempt to persuade her to go to sleep.

Gil had noticed that was when Sara usually got everything done; When Liz was asleep.

It wasn't that she was a handful. It was just that having someone, a baby to be more specific, talking loudly and trying desperately to get your attention could be a little distracting.

Gil remembered that later Sara would be accompanying him to work. Her first full night since Liz's birth.

Catherine was going to babysit, alone for a change.

Neither Gil nor Sara minded the other guys helping Catherine; They both figured it would be good for the men to sharpen their skills for one day when they had a family.

"Well, she's asleep," Sara quietly announced.

Her brown hair had been pulled back into a neat ponytail earlier that morning, but now stray hairs were hanging in her face and her brown eyes gave away that she was extremely tired.

"Go and join her. You'll need your rest for later tonight," He grinned.

Sara stifled a giggle as she hugged him.

"Right. Oh you are so romantic, planning on seducing me at work. I don't think I'd like it if Warrick or one of them walked into your office and saw us having sex," She whispered as she walked down the hall.

"No, you're right. That's why I was planning on putting the Tahoe to work."

Sara's face turned red; Gil wasn't sure if it was from blushing or trying to quiet her laughter.

All he knew was that his shade matched hers.


	27. Walking

Sara gently rocked Liz back and forth, trying to calm her.

All morning the infant had done nothing but cry; She ate then cried, Sara changed her then Liz cried, she played while crying.

Sara didn't know what to do. Liz had always been a happy baby; She had never cried this much her entire life.

"Oh Liz, what's wrong? Here, play with your toys and I'll go call the doctor."

She set Liz down on the colorful quilt she kept handy for when the baby wanted to play.

Liz fussed quietly while knocking two red blocks together; Sara kept her eye on her and dialed the pediatrician's number.

"Dr. Moore's office. How may I help you?" A polite secretary asked.

Sara blinked her eyes a few times, almost as if she didn't understand; But at the last moment she decided to answer.

"Yes, this is Sara Sidle. My daughter Elizabeth just won't stop crying. I've tried everything and I just need to know if maybe I should bring her in."

"Ms. Sidle, Sidle, oh here you are," Sara figured the woman was looking for the correct file. "Elizabeth is nine months old; That's such a cute age. Perhaps she's just a little fussy."

Sara shook her head as if the woman were standing before her.

"Liz does not get fussy. She's never cried this much in her life; I don't know what's wrong with—"

She stopped dead, her voice cracking violently.

Liz was grasping the couch and was pulling herself upward; She was no longer crying even though her cheeks were still tear stained.

"Oh my God," Sara whispered into the phone.

The secretary became worried.

"Sara, right? What's wrong?"

She didn't answer right away; Her eyes were following Liz's every move.

Liz was taking her sweet time standing up; She'd almost get there and then fall down.

"Oh, um, nothing. She stopped crying."

"Is she okay? I mean, what is she doing?" The secretary asked.

Sara's eyes widened as Liz stood all the way up; At first, nothing happened.

No cooing noises or falling down.

She just stood there. Then after she realized Sara was watching her, she looked around to see if anyone else was there.

Upon seeing no one else, Liz shrieked happily; She seemed to know that she had just accomplished something extraordinary.

"She just stood up. I-I have to go," Sara whispered as she hung up the phone.

Liz bounced up and down carefully, making sure she didn't fall; Sara rushed to her side.

"Liz! You are amazing! You stood up! Oh my God and your father isn't here," Sara exclaimed.

Liz shook her head knowingly but continued bouncing up and down.

"Do you want to walk?"

Sara held her index fingers out and Liz immediately latched her tiny hands around them.

Sara slowly hopped backwards, which was quite a feat for someone on their knees.

Liz looked unsure about what to do next.

"Move your leg, honey. Take a step, I know you can. You used to kick something fierce when you were younger so I know you can do this."

It never occurred to Sara to wait until Gil got home; The only thing on her mind were the images of Liz standing up.

The reality of it didn't hit her until later; Her baby really was growing up.

Liz stuck her tongue out of her mouth, the way Gil did when he was concentrating incredibly hard.

As fast as lightning, she took a few wobbly steps then looked at her mother.

Sara had tears in her eyes.

"Oh, Liz, you are such a smart little girl! Do it again for Momma?"

Liz babbled quickly then took a few more steps.

Sara scooped her up into her arms; She was smiling and crying at the same time, something that had never happened very often.

"You are so smart! But no more until Daddy gets home, okay?"

Just then, Gil entered.

"Hello, lad—What's going on?"

Sara half-ran over to Gil; She couldn't wait another minute to tell him.

"She walked! Liz walked! She really did! Oh you should have seen it, she was crying and crying so I called the doctor and I looked over and she was standing up. Then she held my fingers and she walked! Let's so Daddy, Liz!" Sara shared excitedly, all in one breath.

Gil smiled proudly.

"I always knew she was smart. Will you show me, Liz?"

She clapped happily as Sara put her down on the floor.

Once again, she steadied herself with the couch and in an instant she was standing up.

Sara beamed as she knelt down and offered her index fingers; Liz blew a raspberry so hard she almost knocked herself over.

"Liz, you need my fingers to walk, remember?"

As the words left Sara's mouth, Liz took one step, then two, then five.

Her foot hit the floor on her last step and she sneezed, instantly making her fall on her behind.

"Did you see that!"

"Oh my God! First she stands up be herself then she walked! I can't breathe," Sara choked out, picking Liz up and hugging her tightly.

Gil sat on the barstool, eyes wide in amazement and mouth slightly open.

"She… she walked," He stuttered.

Sara nodded joyfully.

"I think we should celebrate!"

She handed Liz to Gil with a smile; He touched Liz's nose as he accepted her into his arms.

"You're amazing. You are the smartest baby in the world," He cooed.

"How does the diner sound?" Sara asked, drying her eyes on her sleeves.

She couldn't believe Liz had walked; It really came as a shock to her. Liz was only nine months old! That seemed far to young to be walking, Sara thought.

"Great. I'll get her dressed while you calm down," He laughed.

Sara nodded as he carried Liz back to the bedroom.

"She really is growing up," She sniffled, "And I'm not ready for it."


	28. Work

**A/N: I already know this chapter sucks, so don't bother alerting me that it does; :). The next chap is going to be much more eventful...**

"Sara, are you ready?" Gil called.

Gil and Sara were going to go back to work, together, tonight.

Their first night back as a couple since Liz's birth.

"Just a second!"

Gil, Liz and Catherine, who was going to babysit, all sat in the living room waiting for her to finish getting ready.

Liz clapped happily and began her normal talking routine, something everyone who visited was used to.

"You are so adorable!" Catherine cooed as she tickled the baby's feet.

"Yeah, and smart too. Watch. Liz? Two?"

Gil held up two fingers and after a moment, Liz copied him.

"Good job! We're working on the other numbers but two is the only one she seems to remember."

Catherine nodded.

"That's pretty good for a nine month old. God, Lindsay couldn't count until she was almost three!"

"How is she? I haven't seen her in almost a year!" Gil asked.

"She's still going to boarding school. I think she misses being home and I miss having her around but she was really getting out of hand. I hope that doesn't sound mean," Catherine bounced Liz gently on her knee.

"Okay, we can go. I'm so sorry, Catherine. Liz, be good," Sara hurriedly apologized as she kissed Liz on top of her head.

"Bye! Have fun."

Liz cooed while her parents waved as they exited the apartment.

"So Liz, what shall we do? You're too young for boys, so that's out of the question," Catherine joked to the infant.

She set Liz down on the quilt covering a small area of hardwood floor and walked over to the TV; She turned it on and grabbed the remote.

"You can help me choose."

Catherine handed Liz the remote and waited to see what would happen.

The infant pressed a number of buttons and looked up at the screen to see what had happened.

"You really don't want to watch CNN, do you? Let's find something better. Oh, look! Barney!" Liz gave a small cry upon seeing the purple dinosaur.

"Okay, how about Spongebob? Your mommy and daddy will kill me when they find out I let you watch this. But I'm not telling them and you can't talk so I think we're safe."

Liz watched the television in fascination; She seemed to enjoy watching the yellow sponge dancing across the screen.

"Yeah, you watch the sponge and I'm going to sit on the couch and watch you."

Catherine stood up and walked over to the couch; She watched the infant stare at the screen for twenty minutes, then it was time for Liz to go to bed.

**Crime Scene**

Sara and Gil silently processed their crime scene; A body was found just outside of town, far enough away that the casino lights passed it over but close enough for out-of-towners to notice.

"You okay?" Gil asked as he bagged a piece of ripped clothing material.

Sara sighed happily; She loved it when she got out of the house.

"Yeah, I'm loving it. The fresh air, the coolness. I just wish there wasn't a dead body here."

He nodded back and continued processing his end of the scene.

Two well-trained professionals such as themselves hardly ever needed another CSI to help process a scene.

Usually just an officer stayed with them until they were finished; This rule was being enforced even more after Nick Stokes had been kidnapped.

But since this was Sara's first time out in the field in well over a year, she had asked Gil to accompany, just to make sure she didn't miss anything.

"I take it you really missed work?" Gil inquired.

Sara bent down to collect another piece of evidence with a smile.

"I really did. I can't verbalize how much I missed this."

After grinning at each other, the couple went back to work.

**The Apartment**

Catherine was lying on the couch reading a copy of Science Monthly she had seen on the kitchen counter; So far it was a good read.

This month most of the content was geared toward fingerprints; Collecting them, revealing them, teaching others how to safely lift prints without destroying their ridges.

Just as she entered a paragraph about print powder colors other than the standard black and white colors, she heard Liz crying.

"Hold on, sweetie!" She called, jumping up and running to the bedroom.

She slid in the hallway but caught herself; She made a mental note to slow down next time.

"Liz my dear, what's wrong?"

Catherine scooped the infant up in her arms.

"Hungry? I think you are," She cooed, carrying Liz out to the living room.

"Dear, you've only been asleep for an hour! That's not nearly long enough! Don't slap me, I'm going as fast as I can!"

She prepared a bottle, precisely measuring the correct amount of formula and popping it into the microwave.

"Hold on," She softly said to the infant as she fussed. "There, it's done."

She knew Liz could feed herself but she didn't care; There was something calming about feeding a baby.

Catherine hummed quietly as she watched Liz drink the bottle.

When she was full, Liz pushed the bottle out of her mouth, spraying formula onto the floor.

She cooed happily before closing her eyes and falling asleep.


	29. Replacement

Gil quickly tied his shoes and slipped on his jacket; He and Sara were returning to work yet again.

At first, neither had planned on going; They were just going to stay home and relax.

But Nick had promised a very special surprise. One worth leaving home for.

"Sar, I'm going to warm the car up!" He called as he headed out the door.

They had worried at first about finding a babysitter; Catherine wasn't available and Greg wasn't ready to take on such a job on his own.

Then young woman across the hall offered to babysit. Sara agreed almost at once.

Sara had run into her in the halls a few times; Lauren had offered to help carry in the groceries or whatever else she needed help with.

Of course, Sara had been pregnant at the time so she figured that had factored into the friendliness but after talking with her for a while, Sara saw the kindness wasn't just skin deep.

Sara knew there wouldn't be any problems.

"Okay Lauren, the numbers are by the fridge, formula's on the counter. Everything you need is right out in the living room. Bye Liz!"

She kissed Liz on top of her head and ran out of the apartment, leaving Lauren and Liz to a nice quiet evening.

Sara sprinted out of the building; She loved how energetic running made her feel.

She hadn't gone running in a long time and just feeling the adrenaline pumping through her body made her feel strong and healthy.

"Ready to go see what Nick's got in store for us?" Gil asked from the car.

Sara jumped in and happily kissed him.

"Let's go."

**The Lab**

"Hey Sara!" Greg greeted the brunette.

People Sara hadn't seen in months were coming up to her like moths to a flame.

"Welcome back," Mia Dickerson, the new DNA girl smiled.

Sara simply smiled at everyone who spoke to her.

"How could you forget me?" Catherine asked, running up behind the couple.

"Aw, you know we'd never forget you!"

The trio smiled at one another; Warrick approached them with an angry look covering his normally serene face.

"Where the hell are we supposed to meet Nick? I'm getting pissed off," He muttered before noticing Sara. "Hey! You're back! Nice you see you; How's Liz?"

"She's good. She walks! It's so cute," She replied.

The entire group turned left and Nick emerged from the break room.

Sara noticed he looked more handsome than usual; He was smiling, which didn't happen very often and he looked a little more physically fit.

"Ah, there you are! Follow me," He smiled, leading them back into the room.

Sara looked at Gil with one brow raised before taking a step into the room.

"Well, I have someone I want you to meet," Nick announced.

Sara noticed a brunette sitting at the table; It looked like she was sleeping but a moment later that theory was disproved.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Jenna."

The woman shyly stood up, glancing around at everyone.

She was a few inches shorter than Nick, making her roughly five foot four; Taller than the usual woman the group encountered.

Her hair was dark brown and eyes were a magnificent shade of green, making her look mysterious and timid.

"Hi," She whispered.

"Don't be shy! Jenna, this is Sara; She's the one with the baby. And that's Grissom, he'll be your boss if he hires you. That's Warrick and the spiky hair is Greg," Nick introduced everyone.

He looked around to make sure he hadn't forgotten anyone when his eyes landed upon Catherine.

"And I'm Catherine," The strawberry-blond outstretched her hand, introducing herself.

"It's nice to meet you all," She softly said.

Sara could tell Jenna was nervous; It was obvious to anyone with eyes, but no one said anything to put her at ease.

Greg nudged Nick, assuming no one was watching him; But everyone's eyes had left the young woman in front of them and were directed toward him.

"Is she yours?" He whispered.

Nick blushed slightly.

"Yes. So don't hit on her," He replied.

Everyone laughed a little as Greg blushed back. Jenna sat back down at the table, looking shier than ever.

"Let's get to work, okay? Nick, you and Jenna can take the DB at the Stardust. Warrick and Catherine, several large pools of blood found in a warehouse but no body. I would give everyone their own cases but it's a slow night, or so I've been informed," Gil shared with everyone.

One by one the room emptied, leaving Sara and Gil alone.

"Should we get to work?" She asked.

Gil blinked several times before answering.

"I suppose so. We've got a dead body in a restaurant. How fun."

Sara giggled as they exited the room.

"So, the new girl, what do you think of her?"

Gil turned his head to see Nick and Jenna leaving the building.

"I think she'll do fine. Hopefully better than Sofia; I don't remember telling Nick that he got to choose who was going to be hired. Oh no, he said they're dating didn't he?"

"Why does that matter? You and I are," Sara questioned.

"I almost forgot! Sorry. Just forget I said anything. How did Liz seem to like Lauren?"

"I think she likes her. She didn't cry or anything when she picked her up so it should all be good," She replied.

The two walked outside into the dark night. Sirens blared in the distance, causing Sara to look up at Gil.

"It's not really a slow night, is it?"

"Well, not anymore," He chuckled.

Both climbed into the Tahoe, ready for what would be a long night.


	30. First Words

"Mmm…" Sara moaned in her sleep.

Work had been unusually hard the night before; She wasn't ready to wake up, but a mumbling noise coming from Liz's crib was quickly awakening her.

She gently rubbed her eyes and sat up.

Not to her surprise, Liz was standing up, clutching the bars of the crib and peeking out from between the bumper pads.

"Hey you," Sara cooed. "What are you up to?"

Liz shrieked with joy upon hearing her mother's voice.

What happened next would forever change Sara's life.

"Ma!"

Sara's eyes widened. Had that really happened?

She got out of bed and walked over to Liz's crib; She lifted the infant out, carried her to the changing table and began changing her.

"I could have sworn that you just spoke," She smiled. "But you didn't, did you?"

"Ma!" Liz shrieked clearly.

Sara gasped.

She was talking. Her baby was talking.

"Gil!" She shouted, not knowing what to do first.

She finished putting the new diaper on Liz then hastily picked her up and rushed out to the living room.

"Gil! She talked! She spoke and walked all in the same week!"

Gil looked up at Sara, his brows raised.

"Liz did? Holy shi—I mean, holy crap!"

He dropped his book and stood up.

"Talk to Daddy, Liz," Sara cooed.

Liz stuck her index finger in her mouth, chewed on it then pulled it out.

Neither Gil nor Sara thought she was going to say anything but just as Gil went to sit down, she did.

"Ma!" She pointed to Sara.

Sara sucked in a shuddering breath while Gil's jaw dropped.

"Three times in less than five minutes! I cannot believe she's talking!" Sara whispered.

Liz clapped happily at the sight of her parents nearly fainting; She seemed proud that she was able to do such a thing.

Sara sat down on the couch, eyes still wide in shock. She couldn't believe Liz was talking.

"Ma?"

"What do you need, sweetie?" Sara asked.

"Wait, why did she call you 'Ma'? I always call you Mommy or Sara," Gil inquired.

"I used to call myself Momma whenever she was around. I don't know why, I just did."

Liz rested her head on Sara's shoulder.

"You two want to go out for breakfast?" Gil asked.

He looked more shocked than Sara; She assumed the breakfast idea was the first thing that came to mind.

"Sure. I'll get her dressed. I cannot believe she said her first word!"

She rushed off to the bedroom to get dressed whilst Gil sat on the couch in amazement.

Their daughter's first word.

Ma.

He was thoroughly astounded; He hadn't expected Liz to talk for months and months to come.

"I'm ready. Are you okay?" Sara asked, adjusting Liz's baby yellow outfit.

"Yeah I'm fine. Let's go," He sighed. "Liz, you are growing up far too fast."

"Ma?" The infant asked as she pointed at Gil.

"No, I'm Mommy. That's Daddy. Say Da," Sara explained.

"Ma."

Gil laughed as he replied, "Let's not have her grow up too fast, okay?"

Liz pulled on Sara's lip and continued mumbling "Ma," as Gil watched happily.

He was both sad and overjoyed that Liz was growing up; He liked it that she was getting older and doing new things, but he hated that she was growing faster each day.

"Ma?"

"She's like a parrot, I swear!" Sara laughed.

Gil joined in on the laughter, hiding in sadness in his chuckles.


	31. Five years later

**Five Years Later**

Sara sat quietly on a chair in the kitchen.

She, Gil and Liz had moved into Gil's townhouse when Liz had only been two. She still wasn't used to calling their home, but she was getting better.

The apartment had proved hard for all three of them to live in.

Sara didn't know why, but she figured that once Liz had starting walking, things got confined.

She loved living in the townhouse. It was huge; So big that during their first week of living there she got lost several times.

Taking a sip of her milk, she remembered that today was a very important day in Liz's life.

She jumped out of the chair and rushed to the bottom of the stairs, tripping over various toys and books along the way.

"Liz! Honey, time to get ready for school!" She shouted.

Usually she went upstairs and woke Liz up without the yelling.

But today she had a lot to do.

Picking the books up and stacking them neatly on the coffee table, she noticed a drawing lying on the couch.

She picked it up and looked at it. A man and a woman were drawn side by side, the man with a beard and the woman holding a book loosely in her left hand.

Sara realized the couple was herself and Gil.

She noticed some small print in the corner; It took her a moment to figure out what it said.

It read, "To Mommy and Daddy."

Tears stung Sara's eyes; Liz had colored it.

Liz had always been a very intelligent child. She began walking and talking at nine months.

When she was two she could very clearly write her name; Not something many children can accomplish.

Sara was often shocked at how smart Liz was. But whenever she told Gil that, he would simply reply, "She gets that from you."

The years had flown by.

It seemed like Liz when from bottles to Barbies in a matter of minutes.

"Mommy?" A small voice asked from behind Sara.

She spun around and saw Liz standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hi sweetie! Did you sleep good?"

Sara walked over to her daughter and picked her up, giving her an enormous hug.

"Uh-huh. Today's the day?" Liz rubbed sleepily at her brown eyes.

Sara laughed nervously, still hugging Liz.

"Yes. My baby's going to school," She mock-sobbed.

"Mommy! Don't cry! I'm coming back. Right? I get to come home?"

Sara nodded.

"Yes you get to come home. I thought I explained this. Oh well, once more won't hurt. I'm going to drop you off and pick you up when school is done."

She set Liz back down on the hardwood floor.

"Go get dressed."

The small girl smiled at her mother then took off up the stairs, her brown shoulder-length hair bouncing as she went.

Sara walked back to the kitchen and fixed each of them a bowl of cereal.

She couldn't believe today was Liz's first day at school. She had prepared for this day for months and it still hit her like a punch.

"Mommy? Do I have to go?" Liz shouted down from upstairs.

Sara wanted to reply, "No you don't. You can stay here with me," But she knew that wouldn't be right.

"Yes you do, sweetie. You'll meet other kids and make some friends. It'll be fun!" She replied.

She absentmindedly took a few bites of her cereal and a moment later, Liz arrived in the kitchen.

"Mommy, do I look okay?" She asked.

"Of course you do! That shirt looks awesome. Come on, eat your breakfast so I can take to you school."

Liz joined her mother at the table but instead of eating her breakfast, she just stirred the floating cereal around.

"I'm not hungry," She announced after a few minutes.

Sara downed her orange juice with one gulp before answering.

"Not hungry? Are you nervous?"

Liz nodded.

"You are going to do fine. There's nothing to be nervous about. But if you don't want to eat, I suppose you don't have to. Let's get a move on."

Liz jumped up from the table and quickly tied the untied shoes on her feet.

She grabbed her backpack off the stairs and she was ready.

Sara, however, had just barely finished putting her hair up into a ponytail.

"Good Lord, you're a fast one. You'd think I'd be used to that by now. Give Mommy just one minute, okay?"

She rushed up the stairs and threw on her favorite jeans and t-shirt.

After checking herself in the mirror, she ran back downstairs.

"Okay. Let's go."

Liz calmly walked out the door, backpack bouncing with each step she took.

Sara smiled to herself as she helped Liz into the large Tahoe; She buckled the girl's seatbelt and rushed around to her side of the vehicle.

"So, are you going to miss me?" Liz asked from the back seat.

Sara nodded.

"Yeah. With all of my heart."


	32. School

Sara sat in the same chair she had that morning.

Recalling the events that had occurred earlier, a smile crossed the brunette's face.

"Liz's first day of school," She softly said to herself.

Things had gone much better than expected once they reached the school.

Liz had squeezed Sara's hand when they got to the classroom; She had always squeezed her mother's hand when she was nervous.

After a moment, a girl with blond hair approached Liz, introduced herself as "Abby," and pulled her away to an area full of baby dolls and more little girls.

A friendly looking woman walked up to Sara with a smile.

"First day?"

"Oh um, yes. That's my daughter Liz," Sara pointed to the small girl playing happily with a baby doll.

"Ah yes. Grissom is the last name? Well, you already filled all the paperwork out, so we'll see you at noon!"

The teacher rushed off to stop a group of boys from eating paste and Sara left the room with a smile; Liz was going to do fine.

The doorbell rang, jolting Sara from her thoughts; She stood up and absentmindedly answered the door.

"Mrs. Grissom?" A tall, dark haired man asked.

He was holding a clipboard and had on a uniform similar to the ones postmen wear.

"I have a letter for you, if you'll just sign here."

He handed her the board and a pen.

She signed her named quickly and thanked the man.

She didn't open the envelope right away; Her thoughts were somewhere else.

That man had called her 'Mrs. Grissom.'

No one had called Sara that since the day she and Gil got married.

Once again, a smile spread on her face as she sat down onto the couch.

Their wedding day had been amazing.

Her dress hadn't been all that fancy, but it had cost more than Gil, Nick and Warrick's tuxes put together.

Greg wasn't able to attend the wedding; Sara vividly announcing he had a date.

Sara's bridesmaids had been Jenna and Catherine; Both wore gorgeous lavender strapless gowns, making each of them look more radiant than usual.

They took turns holding Liz, who had only been eighteen months old at the time, because they both adored her so much.

It had been fabulous.

The day played on a continuous loop in her head until she realized she hadn't opened the letter.

Sara turned the envelope over in her hands to see where it was from.

Nevada State Prison.

She furrowed her brows, attempting to figure out who the letter was from.

Suddenly a loud ringing filled the house.

It was the alarm she had set, to remind her it was time to pick Liz up.

Sighing, she threw the letter on the kitchen counter and left the house.

The entire ride to the school, she tried to determine who she knew at the prison.

As she pulled into a parking space, it hit her like a brick; Her mother.

"Shit," She mumbled, jumping out of the Tahoe and rushing inside.

She needed something to take her mind off of that damn letter.

"Mommy!" Liz greeted her mother.

She ran to Sara, left hand clutching a few drawings and right arm dangling at her side.

Sara bent down her to her daughter's height and opened her arms.

"Hi, Liz! Oh, did you have a nice day?" She asked, arms tightly wrapped around the girl.

"Mommy, can't breathe," Liz gasped and Sara immediately released her. "I love school! I can spell elephant! Want to hear?"

Sara stood up and took Liz's hand in hers.

They walked along the crowded halls, Liz explaining everything that happened during her first day.

"We colored; That was my favorite part. Look, here's you and daddy and me; Our hair matches because I asked politely but this kid wouldn't give me the gray for daddy's hair," Liz smiled happily.

"Oh, I see. Well you can color one of daddy with gray hair when we get home if you want."

"No I like this one. And here's Aunt Cath; Doesn't she look cool? I made her hair green. I hope she likes it. There's Uncle Warrick, and in this one I colored Uncle Greg with his headphones on."

"That's awesome! You are so smart," Sara exclaimed, smiling at Liz, who had no intention of stopping talking.

"And here's Uncle Nick and Jenna," Liz paused for a moment. "Do I call her Aunt Jenna?"

The two had reached the Tahoe so Sara lifted Liz up and buckled her into her booster seat.

"I don't know. You can ask her tonight, okay? We're all going out to dinner."

Liz clapped excitedly.

"Okay! Wanna hear me spell elephant now?"

Sara nodded, climbing into her own seat and starting up the car.

"E-L-E-P-H-A-N-T!"

"Wow! That's awesome, Liz! Would you like an ice cream cone for your snack?"

"Mommy, did you know that ice cream is loaded with sugar and fat, causing you to gain weight if you don't exercise regularly?" Liz explained, smiling brightly.

Sara stifled her laughs.

"I'll take that as a no."


	33. The Letter

Sara unlocked the front door and Liz rushed in past her, still holding tightly onto her drawings.

She stopped at the hallway leading to the kitchen and looked around for her father; When she didn't see him, it was on to plan two.

"Daddy!" She shouted.

A moment later, Gil emerged from the kitchen with a smile.

"Hey! I'm sorry I couldn't be here earlier; I had to work, but you already knew that. How was school?" He picked Liz up and hugged her.

"It was great! I love it! I made you this," She handed him the drawing of Sara, Gil and herself.

He admired it for a moment, still holding Liz in his left arm, then kissed her on the cheek and set her down.

Sara was leaning up against the door, watching her husband and daughter take turns kissing each other.

"Okay, go sit at the table and I'll make you a snack in a minute," Gil set Liz down on the floor and she took off to the kitchen.

"Hi," Sara smiled.

She walked toward him and kissed him avidly.

The two stood there holding each other for a few minutes until Liz shouted, "Daddy I'm hungry!"

Gil kissed Sara on the forehead then strode away to tend to Liz.

Sara stood there for a moment longer, then followed behind, her thoughts on the letter she had received earlier.

"Want a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?" Gil asked Liz.

She nodded happily, still looking at her drawings.

"Sar, who's that letter from on the counter?"

"I'm not sure. I was just going to open it," She replied, picking up the envelope and ripping it open.

She skimmed through it once, eyes darting across the page faster than when she usually read something.

"Sar?"

Gil was now standing behind his wife, hand resting on her right hip; He could tell something was wrong by her breathing.

"What's wrong?"

Sara bit her bottom lip, still glancing at the letter.

"She's dead," She replied in a soft tone, making sure Liz didn't hear.

"Who?" Gil pressed, glancing at the letter.

Sara walked out of the kitchen and into the living room; She was still tightly holding the letter in her left hand. Gil followed her this time.

"Who's dead?" He asked once again.

She sat down on the couch before answering.

"My mother."

Gil joined her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders; He didn't say anything. He still wasn't sure what the best way to comfort Sara was.

"It's from the prison she was in, from the warden. It says she had a heart attack in her cell," She whispered.

She was rereading the letter again. It didn't seem real.

"I don't know what to say, Sara. I'm sorry," Gil whispered.

"I don't know what to think. I haven't seen her since I was twelve," Sara replied.

She felt the hot tears sting her eyes and she sniffled.

"Why is this bothering me so bad?" She whispered.

Gil made slow soothing motions on her back; She was very thankful for that. It always made her feel better.

"Sar, she was your mom," He answered.

She rested her head on Gil's shoulder, tears threatening to fall at any moment; She hated crying, especially in front of other people, even it if was her husband.

Sara hadn't heard from her mother in nearly thirty-two years; Ever since her mother stabbed her father.

That fact shocked her; She always thought mothers and daughter were meant to be close.

"What's the second piece of paper say?" Gil asked, motioning to a leaf of paper behind the one from the warden.

Sara lifted her head off his shoulder and pulled the paper out from behind the letter.

A post-it note was plastered in the middle of this letter; It read, "This was found in your mother's cell; It was addressed to you."

She looked at Gil then pulled the note off the paper and began studying the letter.

It read:

"_Dear Sara,_

_I hope you're doing well. I saw in the newspaper that you had a baby; And got married. I trust both of those miracles are going well._

_I want to apologize for that terrible tragedy you saw as a child; You know your father beat me; I just couldn't take it anymore. I honestly never meant to kill him. I just wanted him to know I was capable of violence and that I could protect myself. I just started stabbing him and couldn't stop._

_I didn't want you to think I've ever forgotten you. I think about you on your birthday and at Christmas. I wish I could visit you and your brother; Perhaps you two could come visit me sometime._

_I really hope you aren't still angry with me; I never meant for you to witness anything violent. And I hope your life continues to be as wonderful as I imagine it._

_Love,_

_Mom"_

Sara now had warm tears streaming down her cheeks; She didn't know what to do, so she collapsed in Gil's arms and began sobbing.

"Why am I crying? I hated both of them," She cried.

"Mommy?"

Liz stood in the living room doorway; She was clutching one crayon in each hand and she looked horrorstruck.

"I think mommy needs a hug," Gil whispered.

Liz ran to the couch and climbed into her mother's lap; She twirled Sara's hair between her fingers, something she had done ever since she was an infant.

Sara fought to calm her sobs; She didn't want Liz to see her crying.

"Hey, let's go in the kitchen to color and leave mommy alone for a while, okay?"

Gil lifted Liz off of Sara's lap, looked at his wife with loving eyes and strode off to the kitchen with Liz hanging onto his neck.

Once they were out of sight, Sara pulled her knees to her chest and rested her head on them.

She hadn't even really known her mother; That wasn't what was bothering her.

The fact that the death was making her cry.

She closed her eyes, only intending to rest her eyes and the next minute, she was asleep.


	34. Dinner And A Surprise

Sara sleepily rubbed at her eyes; She was a little disoriented at first but after blinking she realized where she was.

On the couch in the living room. The letter from her mother was still in her lap and her mascara had smeared onto the pillow she had been resting her head on in her sleep.

"Gil?" She called, getting up from the couch and making her way into the kitchen.

"Mommy, you have to get ready!" Liz shouted from upstairs.

Sara had no idea what she was talking about, so she glanced at her watch.

Five o'clock.

They were going out to dinner in just a little while; Why would Gil have let her sleep so long?

"Okay! Just give me a minute!" She replied.

"Sara, I didn't know you were awake," Gil greeted as she entered the kitchen.

She joined him at the table and sighed.

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

Gil pursed his lips; Almost like a small child, not wanting to get in trouble for something they did, so they figure they can act cute and get out of it.

"I thought you could use the rest. But now that you're awake, you have no time to yell at me because you must go get dressed," He smiled.

Sara angrily sighed and stood up from the table; She sprinted up the stairs and into her room.

"Liz, did you brush your teeth?"

"Yes, Mommy," The girl replied happily. "I want a hamburger. Am I allowed to eat those?"

"Of course! You may get whatever you like. Everyone's going to be there, you know," Sara grinned, pulling on her black evening dress.

Somehow she managed to zip it up herself and put on earrings and make-up in under five minutes.

"Ladies, are we ready?" Gil asked.

Liz, who had been sitting patiently on the bed, jumped up and ran out the door.

Sara smiled as she followed Gil down the stairs.

She knew this evening was bound to be eventful; She just didn't know how lively it would be.

**The Bellagio Dining Hall**

"Hey you three! I didn't think you'd ever so up!" Catherine greeted happily.

She was wearing a black gown that looked very similar to Sara's; Neither seemed to mind the stares from their coworkers.

"Jenna, I need to talk to you," Liz smiled, climbing into the brunette's lap.

Sara really liked it that Jenna was good with kids; She made sure to include Liz in all the conversations and not to make her feel forgotten.

Gil pulled out a chair for Sara and she sat down; He sat down in the chair next to her as the rest of the table welcomed them.

Catherine sat back down next to Warrick, who whispered something in the strawberry-blonde's ear; She giggled quietly and Sara smiled.

Everyone knew those two would get together sooner or later; They looked perfect next to each other and often flirted heavily, both in and outside of the lab.

Liz and Jenna were still talking contentedly; Sara could hear Liz explaining her first day of school.

Nick was watching his girlfriend with shining eyes; You could see that he obviously loved her very much.

"Liz, don't talk her ear off," Sara reminded her daughter.

"She's not bothering me. I think she's adorable!" Jenna smiled at Sara.

"Are you all ready to order?" A tall waitress asked, suddenly appearing by the table.

Everyone ordered their food then resumed talking.

Sara was quiet, just taking in the presence of her friends.

She noticed Nick pull something out of his pocket; A box of some sort.

He stood up with his famous Texan smile and raised his glass of wine.

"Quiet, y'all; I want to make a toast. To friends and living well," He grinned, blush tinting his cheeks.

Everyone followed him in raising their glasses, except Liz who was still sitting in Jenna's lap, and applauded him.

No one expected his next move.

He remained standing up for a moment, then knelt down on one knee, facing Jenna; Tears formed in her eyes and before Nick could say anything, she was crying.

"I love you with all of my heart. Jenna, will you marry me?" He asked, voice cracking slightly as his emotions came into view.

The brunette smiled and after trying several times to give her answer, she could only nod yes.

Cheers erupted from the table; The men, Warrick and Gil, clapped loudly as Sara and Catherine grinned at the newly engaged couple.

Liz didn't know what to do so she clapped as she hopped off of Jenna's lap and ran over to Sara.

Nick hugged Jenna as she continued crying her tears of joy; Once she was calmed down, the two moved their chairs closer together and Nick happily rested his muscular arm on Jenna's still shaking shoulders.

"Mommy, why was she crying? Did I do something wrong?" Liz asked as she scrambled up into Sara's lap.

"You didn't do anything wrong; They're going to get married," She explained.

Liz nodded her head knowingly, her brown ponytail bouncing slightly.


	35. The Nightmare and tears

"Engaged," Sara smiled, flopping down onto the couch. She was still wearing her evening gown, looking astounding even though she appeared tired.

Liz was asleep; She had gone to bed almost as soon as they had arrived home. She had worn herself walking around the table at the hotel, making sure to talk to each person seated there.

"Yeah. Who would've guessed, Nick proposing. She really is a nice girl and she does her job incredibly well. Almost like a younger you," Gil replied.

He walked over to the couch and lifted Sara's feet, placing them in his lap once he was seated.

Neither spoke at first. That was one of the beautiful things in their relationship; No words were needed. They were content just being in each other's presence.

Sara closed her eyes as she recalled the evening; Liz had looked adorable, climbing into people's laps to talk with them.

"Did you have fun?" Gil asked, jolting Sara from her thoughts.

"Oh, um, yeah. I really can't believe they are getting married! They make such a cute couple!"

He smiled; That smile that made Sara want to pounce upon him.

"Good, I'm glad. Well honey, I'm going to bed. Are you coming?"

Sara shook her head.

"No. I'm gonna hang out here for a while."

Gil left the room, causing an eerie silence; A silence that frightened Sara. She hastily turned the television on and stretched out on the couch.

Once her eyes closed, memories of her mother came flooding back.

"_Sara, go outside and play. You're so pale," Her mother frequently told her._

_She didn't mind being pale; Being pale meant she didn't look like the other twelve year old clones._

_Girls who would suffer skin damage all throughout their lives because they felt the need to tan._

_Sara didn't want to be like that; She was very happy with herself._

"_Mom, I'm going to read. Pale is okay with me!"_

_She walked off to her room and closed the door._

_For a preteen, her knowledge was astounding; She had read many of the classics. Books most people don't read until they're in college._

_She pulled one of her many favorites, _The Cricket on the Hearth_, off the bookshelf and jumped onto her bed; She had read this book a few times and loved it._

_Muffled shouting wafted through her bedroom door as she turned the page; No doubt in her mind that her father was home._

_Her mother and father always fought; Her father would beat Laura until she couldn't move. _

_Sara didn't understand this; They were married and married people loved each other, didn't they?_

_More yelling and punches were heard._

_She knew better than to interfere; Her father had no problem hitting her. She touched a bruise on her arm that was a sick green on her shoulder, were he had hit her after she tried to help her mother._

"_Just leave!" She heard her mother scream._

_Another punch echoed through the house, causing Sara to wince._

_She hated seeing the wounds on her mother; The lacerations and bruises nearly caused Sara to vomit. No woman deserved to be treated like that._

_Often she was surprised that her mother was still alive; The injuries were always severe, sometimes more so than the last time._

"_You bastard," She heard her mother moan._

_A loud clattering sound followed those words and Sara jumped out of her bed; She could call the cops. She'd done that before but they always believed that Laura had fallen down some stairs._

_She cracked the door and saw a horrific sight; Her mother standing over her father with a knife._

_Eyes widening in horror, Sara rushed out of her room._

_Her father's pleas for help startled her; He never asked for help._

"_Mom! Put it down!" Sara shouted._

_But it was no use; The woman looked from the knife to the man lying on the floor and then it happened._

_She stabbed him._

_She didn't stop at one stab; Or at five. She continued driving the knife into his body until all of her strength was gone. _

_She collapsed on the floor next to her dead husband._

_Sara couldn't breathe; She didn't know what to do. She ran back into her room and dialed 911._

"_911, please state your emergency."_

"_M-my mother… she killed him!"_

_The operator calmed Sara down and instructed her not to leave her room; The police would be there soon._

_The last time she caught a glimpse of her mother was when two police officers helped her away from the house, she was in handcuffs._

_Sara ran outside and onto the front porch; Just as the officers had closed the car door, Laura mouthed the words 'I'll kill you next."_

Sara awoke from her nightmare, screaming at the top of her lungs, in a cold sweat.

She was no longer on the couch, but instead, laying on the floor; Her shoes were no longer on her feet but across the room.

"Shit," She mumbled, lifting herself onto the couch and sighing.

She hadn't had that nightmare in a long time, but each time she did was more terrifying than the last.

She knew that her mother hadn't mouthed those words; She hadn't mouthed anything. She had just stared at Sara from the car with a grief stricken face.

"Sara?"

Gil entered the living room, face full of concern; Sara burst into tears as he sat on the couch.

Words were not needed once again, but this time because Gil didn't know what was wrong and Sara was sobbing too hard to tell him.


	36. Super Mom

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reads my story at TalkCSI; You all are the best and are SO nice compared to some _other_ people. I'm really enjoying writing this but I might have to take a break. Not writing for a few days always helps me write what I think are my best chapters!**

Gil had spent the rest of the night holding Sara in his arms; She quietly sobbed for a few hours then fell asleep. He didn't; He knew Sara was incredibly sad and he just wanted to think of a way to find out why.

When she awoke, eyes red and puffy from the crying, he still had no idea what to do or ask.

After thanking Gil for comforting her, Sara strode off to the kitchen to eat breakfast; Liz was waiting for them at the table.

"Mommy! I was scared last night. I heard a lady screaming," The small girl squeaked.

Sara joined her daughter at the table with a feeble grin; How do you explain to a child that you had a nightmare you own mother was going to kill you?

"Mommy… had a nightmare."

Liz jumped off of her chair and climbed into her mother's lap; She tightly locked her small arms around Sara's neck, attempting to make her feel better but she was only causing Sara to feel lightheaded.

"I'm sorry you had a bad dream. I have those sometimes. May I please color?"

Sara nodded as Liz ran out of the kitchen, pink bathroom trailing behind her like a cape.

"I'll make you breakfast," Gil softly announced from the doorway; He had large dark circles under his eyes. Sara assumed they were from not sleeping.

He walked to the fridge and pulled out a carton of eggs; banging noises filled the kitchen as he searched for a pan.

"What's wrong?" Sara asked, staring at her husband.

Gil set the eggs down on the counter; He wasn't angry with her, he was angry with himself.

"Why are you so miserable all the time?" He returned the question.

Sara felt confused; She wasn't sad all the time. Why was he inquiring her all of a sudden?

"I'm not. What's going on?"

Gil cracked the eggs and dumped them into the pan; A slight sizzling sound filled the silence between them.

"Look at this picture!" Liz shouted from the living room; Sara stood up from the table and walked off to look at the drawing without saying a word to Gil.

She was sick and tired of people always asking her why she was always down; She wasn't. Just because she wasn't smiling didn't mean she was sad; It meant she wasn't smiling!

She entered the living room to see Liz sprawled out on the floor on her stomach with papers and crayons scattered everywhere.

"What did you draw?" Sara asked, joining Liz on the floor.

"This is my school," She gestured to a very nicely drawn building with tiny stick people standing out front. "This is the wedding, Uncle Nick and Jenna's; He likes jeans so that's what he's wearing. And here's a puppy."

She handed Sara a piece of paper with a small brown puppy drawn on it; She knew what Liz was hinting.

"No puppies yet, Liz. Maybe you'll get on for your birthday. You're going to be six very soon," Sara explained.

It was true; Liz was going to turn six in four days. And Gil and Sara still hadn't picked out a present.

"Okay. What are we doing today?" Liz asked. She began coloring yet another picture. This time it was Sara wearing her CSI vest and she was holding a field kit in her hand.

"Let's go to the park," Gil answered for her. Sara quickly sat up and spun around; He was standing in the doorway with a smile. "Sara your breakfast is done."

Liz hopped up and ran after her father.

Sara slowly walked into the kitchen; Her eggs were sitting on the table, a small pile of ketchup in the center of them.

She smiled as she thought, "He knows me all too well."

Liz's happy shrieks suddenly filled the house; Sara was very used to this by now.

Gil would chase her around the house and eventually catch her; But lately, it seemed she was too fast for him.

"I'm gonna get you!" He bellowed in a deep voice.

Sara coughed and laughed at the same time; He always made her laugh.

"Mommy!" Liz shouted, running into the kitchen; She too was laughing. "Hide me!"

Sara dropped her fork and beckoned to the small girl; Liz immediately sprinted as quickly as she could toward Sara, her father's mock-angry footsteps the kitchen.

"Where are you my precious?" Gil called out in the same deep voice; He entered the kitchen and began looking around in search of Liz.

Sara motioned to Gil that she was under the table; She made sure her daughter couldn't see her and Gil nodded.

"I see you. Don't try to run! I'll get have to get you with my… insect gun!" He made a loud machine gun firing sound and Liz giggled happily from her hiding spot.

Gil strolled toward the table and bent down upon reaching it; Liz covered her eyes in attempt to further her hiding. Gil gently pulled her leg, tugging her out from underneath the table.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" He calmly asked, trying his best to conceal his smile.

Liz peaked out from between her fingers before answering.

"You can't see me?"

Gil picked her up and carried her off to the living room. Sara listened intently to hear the sound she knew was coming.

Liz's begs and pleads for Gil to stop tickling her; But upon stopping, she would ask him, "Tickle me again, please?"

Sara listened to this for a few more moments before bounding away from the table, anxious to join in.

"Never fear, Super Mom is here!"


	37. Birthday

"Birthday, birthday, birthday!" Liz shrieked, running down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Today was her sixth birthday; The birthday she had waited for to see if her parents would buy her a puppy.

"Happy birthday, baby," Sara cooed, scooping the ecstatic little girl up in her arms. Liz wrapped her arms around Sara's neck and kissed her cheek.

"When are the girls getting here?" She asked, still clinging to Sara.

"Soon."

The girls Liz were referring to were a few classmates from school; They had warmed right up to Liz and ever since that first day 'the girls' were inseparable.

They took turns sleeping over at the other's houses and none of the mothers had a problem with that, as long as everyone behaved.

These girls were the only kids Liz wanted to come to her small party; Sara smiled as she thought "Having a few friends over isn't the only wish come true for Liz."

"Go get dressed," Sara smiled at Liz. A car engine in the driveway had told her the surprise was here.

Various noises filled the Grissom house; A small girl quietly preparing for her birthday party, an anxious mother awaiting conformation from her husband that the present had been purchased, and the husband, banging things around in the garage to hide the noise of Liz's surprise.

"Gil, get in here!" Sara ordered from the garage doorway. Then in a much lower tone she added "Did you get it?"

He nodded happily and the brunette sighed with relief.

"Well, her friends are going to be over soon so just make sure she doesn't find it okay?"

The doorbell ringing startled them both; Each looked at their watches and realized the guests had arrived.

Sara ran off to answer the door; She yanked it open and revealed four girls standing side by side, smiles ear to ear.

"Hi, Mrs. Grissom," Each girl greeted when it was their turn.

Sara opened the door wider and each girl stepped in; Each was holding a gift and looked around in awe at the interior of the house even though they had been there many times before.

"Hi, girls. Please, call me Sara. I've told you to ever since the first day of school but I guess it doesn't stick," She smiled and looked out at the street before closing the door. "Your mothers are parking their cars?"

Each girl nodded once again.

"I'll go get Liz right now. You all can go wait in the living room, okay?"

Sara set off up the stairs; She watched the girls chatting amongst themselves happily.

There was Sam, the tomboy; She often went out of her way to talk to Sara. And you never saw her without a ponytail.

Then Olivia, the queen of girly-girls. She was never seen without her purse and a tube of lip gloss. Sara really didn't think a six year old needed lip gloss, but she didn't say anything.

Rachel was the shyest; She frequently could be found in the library or with a book. Reading was her passion and she was very well read for a child of her age.

Last but not least was Natalie, N for short. She was a mixture of things; Tomboy at times, girly whenever, reader at other times. She liked a wide variety of things and never disobeyed anyone.

Sara reached Liz's bedroom with a grin.

"Liz, they're here."

The small girl emerged from under her bed, smiling at her mother.

"What were you doing under your bed?" Sara asked, walking down the stairs with her daughter.

"I was looking for that bracelet Uncle Warrick gave me; The blue one, you know? I think I might have lost it."

At the bottom of the stairs, the two turned left and entered the living room; The group of girls was seated on the couch, all waiting for Liz.

"Happy birthday!" All of them shouted, their voices caused Sara to jump. She hadn't been expecting them to be that loud.

They all greeted Liz with smiles; Olivia pulled Liz close to her and shared "I know this awesome face cream that removes wrinkles. It helps you age better."

Sara stifled her laughter as the doorbell rang again; She rushed off to answer it, leaving the girls to talk.

"Hey!" She greeted as each of the girl's mothers stepped in; The women had gotten together a few times to talk and have coffee and had become semi-good friends.

Kelly was N's mom; Both looked so similar it was frightening.

Carrie was Rachel's mom; They didn't looked alike but you could tell where Rachel got her shyness if you met her mother.

Sam was April's daughter but you couldn't tell that by looking at them; They looked totally different. Sam had black hair and April had a soft blonde shade.

And Colleen was Olivia's mother; The two were constantly sharing beauty tips and hair care products.

"How are you?" They all greeted one another.

"Let's go in the kitchen. I made coffee," Sara gestured for the women to go ahead; She had improved greatly on hosting, always having drinks and snacks ready for anyone that walked through the door.

The kitchen was quiet at first except for the sound of Sara pouring coffee; She handed each woman a mug and after pouring herself a cup, she joined them at the table.

"They grow up so fast don't they?" April smiled, sipping her drink.

All nodded in agreement as just as Sara was about to share what present she and Gil had bought Liz, all the girls ran into the kitchen, giggling joyfully.

"Can she open her presents, Mrs. Grissom?"

"Please? We got her something really cool!"

The girls attacked Sara with questions until she finally gave in.

"All right. To the living room!"

The girls ran ahead whilst the women slowly followed, chatting happily.

When they reached the living room, Liz was seated in the middle of the room with the other girls sitting closely around her.

The mothers stood, watching their daughters giggle and joke.

The presents were incredibly nice, but a little excessive: Five Barbies from Colleen and Olivia. A few books from Rachel and Carrie; Sara's favorite gift. She loved it whenever Liz read.

A mix of things from N and Kelly; A book, a doll, a ball with designs on it and a drawing pad.

Sam and April gave Liz a gift card to a clothing store in the mall.

Liz cheerfully thanked everyone several times then looked expectantly at Sara; She knew her mother and father had a present for her and she was waiting to see what it was.

"Hold on. Let me go find your dad." Sara stalked off knowing Gil was waiting for her to tell him to come out of hiding.

She knocked six times on the garage door then hurried back to the living room; Gil footfalls were soon heard entering from the garage.

He walked into the living room wearing a large bulky coat, his face red; Most likely because it was almost one hundred degrees outside and he had been hiding in the hot garage.

Liz's face lit up as he smiled at her.

"Liz, mommy and I got you something. You have to learn to take care of this gift with the help of us."

He unzipped his coat and pulled something out; A small wiggling creature yawned as it was released from the coat.

"Oh! A puppy!" Liz whispered, running over to her father; He gently helped her hold the puppy against her body so it wouldn't fall on the floor.

She sat down at her friends walked over and they all took turns petting it.

Sara, Gil and the mothers stood a few feet away, watching their daughters giggle and pet the tiny puppy, who was eager to receive all of their attention.

"Good one," Kelly whispered to Sara.

She nodded in agreement then happily kissed Gil.

"You did good, Bugman."


	38. Kisses

**A/N: Sorry it took so long for this chapter! I'm going to try and get a few more chapters posted before I leave tomorrow but I'm not making any promises!**

**One Month Later**

Sara gently stroked Lily's soft head, the puppy Liz had received for her birthday.

Everyone in the house, including Gil, loved having a puppy around; Sara often sat on the couch late at night with Lily nestled happily in her lap.

It seemed Liz was growing more each day; She was getting very tall, towering over the other children in her class. They called her 'Sunflower', but she didn't seem to mind.

Sara's melancholy attitude appeared to have disappeared; She, Catherine and Jenna were good friends. The three often went out a few times a month just to relax and hang out.

She really liked having things to do other than work; Going out for a night with the girls was her idea of a good time. She usually laughed so hard that tears could be seem in her eyes.

Gil an amazingly good father; He loved taking Liz to the park and on walks.

Sara was waiting for them to return; He had taken Liz out for ice cream and been gone nearly an hour.

The phone rang, sending Lily into a barking frenzy. She leapt off of Sara's lap and ran into the kitchen.

Sara giggled as she answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Sara, hey! It's Catherine! How does girls night out sound?" The strawberry blond asked.

"Great! I'll pick you two up at seven? Cool. See you then!"

She replaced the phone on the receiver sitting on the coffee table; Lily really hadn't caught on that there was more than one phone in the house, so every time it rang, she ran into the kitchen and barked at the one on the wall.

"Lily! I'm going outside!" Sara shouted.

The puppy's running steps caused a small echo in the house; A moment later, Lily reappeared in the living room.

"Okay, let's go," Sara grinned, standing up from the couch and jogging to the back door.

She opened it, let Lily run outside, then closed it again.

House breaking the puppy hadn't been as hard as she had imagined; She and Gil worked on that, while Liz tried to remember to feed Lily when she was supposed to.

"Mommy? We're home!"

Sara heard the front door close and an instant later, Liz appeared in the kitchen.

"Where's Lily?"

"She's outside. Go out and play for a while," Sara answered, hugging her daughter tightly.

After releasing the wiggling little girl, Sara opened the door once again to let her outside.

Lily ran to Liz instantly, ears slightly trailing out behind her.

"Hey," Gil whispered, locking his arms around his wife's waist; He softly kissed her neck once then spun her around to kiss her on the lips.

"Hi. Have fun?" Sara mumbled between kisses.

She loved it when Gil surprised her with kisses; It made her feel more loved than she could express in words.

"I'm going out later, which means you'll have to put Liz to bed."

Gil nodded, kissing Sara along her jaw; She laughed as he suddenly tickled her stomach.

"Did you hear what I said?"

"Yeah. Have to put Liz to bed. I can handle that; Going out with Cath and Jenna?" He answered.

Gil gave Sara one last kiss on the cheek before walking away to put his shoes where they belonged.

Sara looked out the back door; Liz and Lily were happily playing in the grass, the tall privacy fence protecting them from any harm.

"Yep. I'm picking them up around seven. You really could have a boys night out; You deserve it, for being so good to Liz and I," She smiled, walking away from the door and over to Gil, kissing him avidly.

Gil opened the fridge and pulled out a water bottle; He opened it and took a small swig, replacing the cap once he swallowed.

"That's okay, I like staying home."

"Mommy, I'm thirsty," Liz announced her presence.

She was standing in the doorway, Lily sitting at her feet; The two suited each other perfectly.

Liz would talk to Lily like a human and Lily would respond in barks; Sara often wondered what the two were 'talking' about.

"Okay. Here's some water," Sara moved around Gil and opened the fridge again, pulling out a bottle of water.

Liz ran to her mother but stopped short; She covered her face in her hands, making Sara think she was injured. Just a moment later, the small girl muffled a sneeze with her hands.

"Are you okay?" Sara asked, handing Liz the bottle of water.

"Yeah, mommy. It was just a sneeze! Come on, Lily!" Liz giggled as she walked away, sipping the water.

"She loves that dog more than she loves us," Gil laughed from the table; He too was sipping his water.

"Does not! She loves us more because we bought her the puppy. I like her too; She loves sitting on my lap and just having me pet her," Sara countered, joining Gil at the table.

He screwed the cap on his water with a smile.

"I think getting Liz a pet was a great idea; It teaches her responsibility and that she should be caring and gentle," He shared, still grinning.

Sara nodded; She hadn't had any pets as a child, but she had always wanted one.

"I really like it when you kiss me like that," She changed the subject in one swift movement.

She stood up from her chair and walked around to Gil; He stood up too, setting his water bottle down on the table.

He kissed as he had earlier; Sara felt herself slipping deeper and deeper into the kiss. She probably would have forgotten to breathe, if it hadn't been for Liz's interruption.

"Ew! They're kissing! Come on Lily. Oh, my eyes!" Liz laughed as she walked out of the kitchen, even though she had just entered.

"She's just jealous no one kisses her like that," Gil laughed, holding Sara close to him.

"Oh bite your tongue," Sara laughed.


	39. Night Out

"What's been going on in your lives?" Sara asked, sipping her water; It was her turn to be the designated driver.

Catherine and Jenna weren't drunk yet, but getting there; They were having a little trouble staying seated on their chairs and Sara smirked as she picture the two sitting on the floor with their drinks.

"I'm convinced I'm boring," Catherine blurted. "All the men I meet either are jerks or they think I'm too old. Am I old?"

"No, no, not old. I can't believe they would tell you that!" Sara smiled.

She didn't think of Catherine as old; She was like the cool big sister Sara had always wanted.

Jenna propped her elbows up on the table and rested her head in her hands; She was a lot quieter than the other two. Just in the last month she had really revealed anything about her life.

"Nick's still trying to get me to get over my shyness," She sighed.

Sara knew how it felt to have people trying to pull you out of your shell; It felt embarrassing and unreal, having people trying to make you be something you weren't.

"He just loves you and doesn't want to see you end up… like me, I suppose," Sara smiled.

"Like you? Nothing's wrong with you!" Jenna countered, slightly spilling her drink on the table.

"I thought we were going shopping," Catherine suddenly asked; Her cheeks were rosy, signifying she had had enough to drink.

"We could have, but I can't sober you both up fast enough now can I?"

Catherine glanced sideways at Jenna for a moment; She stood up from the table, stumbling clumsily as she walked to the counter.

Sara couldn't hear the order over top the noise of the bar; Jenna looked as if she were ready to pass out, if not from the alcohol from the sleepiness.

"Here. Coffee. Drink," Catherine smiled, forcing a cup of coffee toward Jenna; The brunette eagerly accepted and downed the cup in one gulp.

Sara fiddled with her keys; Usually their nights out were fun filled and exciting. What had happened?

"I think I'm sober. Quick, ask me a question!" Jenna exclaimed.

"Um… Can you name five of the Presidents?" Sara asked.

Jenna nodded instantly.

"Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Polk and Jackson! Yeah, I'm sober. How 'bout you Cath?"

Catherine pursed her lips; She wasn't sure if sober was the correct word. More like so drunk she could barely sit upright.

"I'm good," She lied.

Obviously she was a better liar than she ever imagined because Sara fell for it; She stood up from the table and urged the others to follow.

"Come on, let's go shopping!"

**Las Vegas Mall**

"Are you sure you feel okay?" Sara asked Catherine.

She nodded her response, afraid to talk; She felt incredibly drunk. More than ever before.

"Oh, I told Gil how much I liked his kisses," Sara giggled.

Jenna stopped dead in her tracks, brown hair falling in her face at the sudden stop.

"How'd he take it?"

"He kind of just started kissing me frantically, right there in the kitchen!" Sara continued.

The three started walking again, making there way from store to store with Catherine following behind.

They strode into Victoria's Secret; Sara hadn't always been comfortable in that particular store but she wasn't feeling too self-conscious at the time.

"I love these pajamas! For some reason, silk pajamas are the coolest thing for me," Jenna laughed. She glanced at the price tag to reveal the cost was a whopping two hundred dollars.

"Whoa, Vicky's got expensive," Catherine giggled; She could feel the intoxicated feeling wearing off; "Amazing how walking can have that effect on you," She thought.

"Yes they did. I don't think I can afford anything in here," Sara said with a frown. "Next store?"

Jenna and Catherine nodded in agreement.

The three left the store as quickly as they had entered it and looked around for the next store; It happened to be Toys 'R' Us

"Are we going in here?" Catherine raised one brow; She didn't think grown women should be hanging out in a toy store, but Jenna and Sara thought differently.

"You know you want to look at all the baby stuff," Sara cooed, pulling the semi-sober woman behind her. "You miss when you had a baby."

Jenna laughed as she lifted a small baby outfit and looking lovingly at it; She glanced around at all the items, looking overwhelmed.

Sara had seen that look before; She had worn it almost seven years ago when Catherine had taken her baby shopping.

"Jen? You okay?" Catherine asked as she pulled away from Sara; She gently touched Jenna's arm, trying to shake her from her thoughts.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine."

She carefully folded the outfit and placed it back on the pile; She started to walk away but turned around when Catherine and Sara didn't follow.

"What?" She inquired.

"Nothing. Just, I've seen that look before," Sara smiled, but it quickly turned to a frown. "Please tell me you're not pregnant. If you drank all that beer and you're pregnant…"

"No! I'm not pregnant! I wouldn't have drank if I was; I was just thinking how nice it would be to have a baby," Jenna explained.

She looked on the verge of tears but hastily wiped her eyes.

Sara looked relieved. "Oh. Sorry, I… Sorry. A little pointer? Wait until after the honeymoon."

A smile tugged at the corners of Jenna's mouth; Catherine burst out laughing and Sara joined her.

She gave Jenna a hug; She really did feel sorry for accusing her of drinking while pregnant.

"Apology accepted. So, after the honeymoon. I'll have to remember that," Jenna giggled.

The three continued laughing, wandering through the store with smiles ear to ear.


	40. Sick

**A/N: Can you believe this is the 40th chapter! I'm shocked!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own CSI. I am not profiting from this story in any way, shape or form.**

"Oh my God," Sara sighed as she walked into the house; She dropped her keys onto the small table by the front door and hung her coat on the coat rack.

She wandered to the kitchen and smiled when she saw Gil sitting at the island in the middle of the room; He appeared to be studying something, his concentration unmoved.

"Ahem," Sara cleared her throat to announce her presence.

"Oh, hi! Did you have a good time?" Gil asked as he realized she was home; He stood up from his chair and walked over to her with a smile on his face. "I missed you."

Sara blushed as he kissed her.

"Yes I had a good time. And I missed you too."

He continued kissing her; Sara felt the minutes pass but she didn't mind. As the two finally separated, she suddenly felt very tired.

"Did Liz give you any trouble?" She yawned.

Gil pursed his lips for a moment.

"No trouble. I think she may have a cold. She had a fever and was coughing so I gave her the couch medicine in the cupboard and tucked her in bed."

Sara's eyes widened; Liz was sick and her own mother hadn't been home to comfort her?

"I'm going up to check on her."

Before Gil could talk her out of it, Sara took off for the stairs and ran up them; Lily's barking from her training crate in the bathroom echoed down the hall.

Sara reached Liz's room; She tiptoed in and knelt by her daughter's bed.

"Mommy?" Liz sleepily asked, eyes still closed.

"Are you okay sweetie? Do you feel sick?" Sara rested her hand on Liz's forehead. "Oh you have a fever."

Liz exhaled shortly, her brown hair sticking to her cheek and neck.

"Mommy, I want to sleep in your bed," She mumbled.

Sara nodded. She removed the blankets that were covering Liz and lifted the small girl out of the bed.

"Okay."

When the two reached the bedroom, Sara carefully placed Liz on her side of the bed.

"Let me change then we'll bring your fever down."

She quickly undressed and slipped on her favorite pajama pants, the ones with puppies all over and a white t-shirt; She checked on Liz one more before going to the bathroom and getting a washcloth damp.

"Liz, I'm going to put this cloth on your forehead, okay?"

Liz nodded, eyes still tightly shut.

Sara felt bad; Every other time Liz had been sick, Sara had been there to make her feel better.

She climbed onto the bed and laid down, her left hand propping her head up so she could watch Liz.

She watched her daughter's chest rise and fall with each breath, her eyes flutter at her dreams and her hand occasionally move as if she were grasping something.

Gil entered and quietly grabbed his clothes to change; Sara watched him go before turning back to Liz,

"Mommy, is my fever gone?" Liz mumbled in her sleep; She reached up and placed her hand on Sara's, which was resting on Liz's forehead.

"Not yet. Go back to sleep."

Liz turned over on her side and Sara went to find Gil; She didn't remember him telling her he had to work.

She turned the corner to the bathroom and saw him refreshing Lily's water.

"Hey, are you going to work?" She asked.

"No. Going out to get some ice cream and stuff for Liz; God knows she's like you when she's sick. Only eating junk food," He smiled at his wife.

He placed the water bowl in Lily's crate and closed the door; He fastened the latch and stood up, kissing Sara as he left the room.

"Do you want anything?"

"No. Thank you," She hugged him and flashed a smile; He grinned as he jogged down the stairs.

Sara returned to their bedroom.

Liz was now awake; Her brown eyes were glassy, that was a sign she was definitely sick.

"Mommy, where's daddy going?"

Sara rushed to her side as she coughed.

"Oh, sweetie. He's going out to get you some food. You want a popsicle?" Sara replied.

Liz nodded, still covering her mouth even though the coughing had stopped.

"Okay. I'll get you a pink one; Hold on."

Sara ran down the stairs and into the kitchen; She pulled a popsicle out of the freezer, cut the top off and was back up in the bedroom in record time.

"Thank you, mommy."

Liz sucked on the popsicle; The melting liquid running down her throat soothed the burning feeling.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here earlier," Sara apologized.

She stroked Liz's hair, something that had always calmed her when she was a baby.

"It's okay. I'm tired now; Can you throw my popsicle away, please?"

Sara grinned as she took the wrapper away from Liz; She stood in the doorway as Liz fell asleep.

Lily barked as Sara entered the bathroom.

"Yes? I suppose you need some love," Sara laughed as she unlatched the door, releasing the puppy out into the bathroom.

Lily climbed into Sara's lap and panted expectantly; Sara shook her head.

"No, I don't have anything for you. You really are dumb at times, aren't you?"

Lily barked happily in agreement.


	41. Hospital

Sara brushed her brown hair off of her cheek; It was sticking to her tear stained cheek, making it difficult to move it at all.

She had awoken during the night after having the nightmare about her mother killing her.

The same nightmare she had experienced a month earlier.

Gil was nowhere to be found in the house; She had searched everywhere and had come up empty handed.

After wandering around looking for her husband, Sara returned to bed, but not to sleep. She sat on her side, knees pulled up to her chest and began thinking.

"Why do I have these dreams? Why would anyone dream their own mother was murdering them?" She whispered.

The hours passed and these same thoughts swirled around in Sara's mind; She couldn't think of anything else.

The thoughts were tiring, but she was afraid to go back to sleep; Afraid the dreams would return.

"Mommy?" A small voice asked from the doorway.

Sara turned her head and saw Liz standing in the door; Hair sticky from sweating and eyes red and puffy, making her resemble Sara even more.

"Come here, baby."

Liz ran into the room and joined her mother on the bed. She sneezed as Sara released her from a hug.

"You're not any better?" She asked, feeling her daughter's forehead.

Liz shook her head in agreement; She sneezed again, looking up at her mother with sorrow filled eyes.

"We'll go to the hospital right now. Come on."

Sara swung her legs to the side of the bed and let her bare feet touch the carpet for a moment; When Liz sneezed again, she stood up, picking her up as she went.

"Mommy, what about Lily?" Liz asked, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

"She'll be okay. Wait a minute, didn't you sleep in my bed last night?"

Sara carefully marched down the stairs; Once at the bottom, she slipped her tennis shoes on, grabbed her keys off the table by the door and continued outside.

"Yes. But in the middle of the night, I had to go to the bathroom and I fell asleep on the floor. By Lily's cage. You didn't see me?" Liz explained.

Her voice was greatly altered by her cold; She sounded miserable. It broke Sara's heart to hear her sounding all stuffed up.

"No, guess I missed you. I'll call daddy when we get to the hospital, okay?"

Sara started the vehicle and backed out of the driveway; She narrowly missed hitting the mailbox at the end and smiled as Liz giggled from the backseat.

**Desert Palm Hospital Pediatric Ward, Room Two**

"Sara and Liz, how are you today?" A nurse wearing pink scrubs smiled as she entered the room.

"Good," Sara replied. "How are you?"

"I'm good. My name is Lauren, obviously I'll be your nurse today. It says here you have a cold?" She asked Liz, still smiling.

"Yeah. My throat hurts," Liz answered quietly.

She never had been very fond of hospitals; She was very much like Sara that way.

"Okay. Can you open your mouth for me?"

Liz nodded as Lauren pulled on a pair of almost clear plastic gloves.

Lauren pulled a flashlight out of her pocket and shined it in Liz's mouth; After nearly ten minutes of looking down Liz's throat, she clicked the flashlight off and checked the small girl's ears.

"Well, it looks like your have strep throat. I'm going to have a doctor come in and double check, so just hang out for a minute and he'll be right in," Lauren slipped the gloves off as she left the room.

"I didn't like her," Liz told Sara almost immediately.

She laughed and ruffled Liz's hair; A second later, a doctor entered.

"So, strep throat?" He asked, checking the chart in his hands; He wrote something down with a pen then pulled an empty chairs over in front of Sara and Liz.

"That's what the nurse said," Sara answered. Liz stared at the floor.

"May I take a peek?" He questioned Liz. "You can have a sticker when I'm done."

Liz nodded sadly and looked up at the doctor before her; Her eyes were glassy, a sure sign she had some sort of illness.

The doctor looked into Liz's mouth, moving her tongue from side to side with a small wooden stick like object then nodded.

"Yep, it's strep all right. I'll go write up a prescription for that then you can leave," He smiled as he exited the room.

Liz locked her arms around Sara's neck and became coughing; She tried to comfort her daughter the best she could, but she felt a warm liquid on her neck.

"Liz? Did you spit on mommy?" She asked, wiping at the spot with the back of her hand.

Being a mother, Sara had faced things much more revolting than spit; But saliva had always made her gag and she was doing her best to remain calm.

"Yes. I'm sorry mommy! It tasted bad!" Liz gasped between coughs.

The doctor, whose name Sara couldn't recall, entered again holding a piece of paper; Sara accepted it from him as she saw the look of thought on his face.

"I might have something to help you right now, Liz."

He pulled a sucker from his white coat pocket and handed to the small girl; She tore the wrapper off and popped it into her mouth. Almost instantly, she quit coughing.

"Amazing, isn't it. Get well soon," He grinned.

Sara stood up, Liz still clinging to her and left the room.

"We'll get your medicine filled when we leave, okay?" Sara asked the little girl.

"I'm sorry I slobbered on you," Liz answered, lollipop stick protruding from her mouth.

Sara walked into the elevator and pressed the ground level button; Liz tightened her grip around her mother's neck as the elevator gave a jolt.

"It's okay. We'll get a drink too."

The doors opened and doctors rushed in as Sara rushed out; As the two left the building, the hot sun hit them, the natural chestnut highlights in the mother and daughter's hair gleaming.

"Mommy, I'm tired," Liz yawned, looking around the parking lot as if she didn't know where she was.

Two quick chirps came from the Tahoe as Sara unlocked it; She opened the back door and placed Liz on the back seat, fastening her seat belt as quickly as possible.

"Okay, just stay awake until we get home. What do you want to drink?" Sara asked, trying to keep Liz up.

When no answer came, she looked in the rearview mirror.

Liz was already fast asleep.


	42. Late

Sara carefully measured the instructed amount of antibiotic for Liz's strep throat out onto a spoon; She knew Liz hated the medicine but she wanted her to get better.

Her eyes watered as the smell of the drug wafted up to her nose; She felt terrible that Liz had to ingest such a foul smelling thing.

"Liz, come take your medicine," Sara called to her daughter.

Liz walked sadly into the kitchen; She did look a bit better. Her eyes were no longer as glassy and she wasn't coughing as much.

She climbed onto her favorite chair and opened her mouth. She braced herself for the horrible tasting medication.

"Mommy that tastes so bad," Liz gagged after swallowing the dark liquid that had smelled as bad as it tasted.

"I know sweetie. How about a popsicle?"

Sara stood up from her seat to get Liz something to take the flavor out of Liz's mouth but her daughter stopped her.

"No, that's okay. Daddy and I are watching Spongebob."

Liz jumped out of the chair and ran off to Gil.

Sara smirked; The thought of her entomologist husband watching a show about a sponge living in the ocean was very amusing.

She walked toward the living room with a smile on her face. Quiet laughter could be heard coming from the room.

"So… Spongebob?" She asked, leaning on the door frame.

Gil and Liz were seated on the floor, side by side, laughing at the television.

"It's rather funny," Gil chuckled, lying down completely on the floor and patting the spot next to him, inviting Sara to join the two.

"What is so funny about misinforming our children?"

She ambled into the room, stepping over Lily's sleeping form, and sat down next to Gil.

"Nothing at all, it's just funny for some odd reason."

He tugged on her arm, forcing her to lay down next to him; She propped herself up with her right elbow and watched Liz giggle at the odd creatures on the television screen.

"You're working tonight, too, right?" Gil inquired, tracing Sara's jaw with his index finger.

She nodded, causing her hair to fall in her face.

"Yeah. That reminds me; Liz? Aunt Catherine is going to babysit you tonight."

Sara felt bad for not remembering to tell Liz Catherine was going to babysit; It broke her heart to leave Liz at home, even if she knew Liz loved it whenever Catherine came over.

"Okay. I need to get Lily some water. Come on, girl!" Liz scampered out of the room with Lily in hot pursuit, not caring at all that her parents would be gone later that night.

Gil sat up and moved to the couch; Sara scooted her way backward so her back was against the couch.

Without any warning, he began rubbing her shoulders.

Sara moaned quietly, the every day stress that built up moving from her body with Gil's tender movements.

She closed her eyes and dropped her head, hair falling around her face.

"You really should do this more often," She laughed.

Gil smiled; He loved it when Sara was happy. It happened more often than it used to, but not nearly enough.

"I'm that good, huh?"

With his thumbs placed at the beginning of Sara's shoulder blades, he applied a small amount of pressure and moved inward.

Sara sighed; She couldn't believe how amazing his back massages were.

"Mmm-hmm. It's astounding; You read insect magazines all the time and you can massage like that? Wow," Sara smirked.

Gil nodded silently, still softly kneading Sara's neck.

Hours seemed to pass and finally the phone rang, jolting the couple from their trance-like state.

"Mommy! It's Aunt Cath!" Liz called from the kitchen.

Sara stood up, gave Gil a kiss and rushed off to get the telephone; Gil sat on the couch in disbelief. How was it that Catherine always called at the worst times?

"Liz, you are not supposed to answer the phone, honey," He heard Sara remind Liz.

Running footsteps echoed down the hall and a moment later, Liz ran into the living room with a smile.

"Did you answer the phone?" Gil inquired as Liz climbed onto his lap.

"Yes. It was ringing!"

A plunking sound from the television forced them both to look toward it; Spongebob was still on.

"Gil, we are going to be so late! Get dressed!" Sara called.

She ran up the stairs; How could she have forgotten to check the time?

It could have been that Gil's back rub distracted her. Or that she just simply didn't care about going to work tonight. Either way, it was not acceptable to be late.

"Sara, I am dressed. What's your hurry? I mean, Catherine's not even—" Gil started from the bottom of the stairs but was cut off by the doorbell. "Here yet."

"She called to say she was a block away! What is wrong with me? I should have checked the clock!"

Gil abandoned his questions to answer the door; He walked the few steps to the door and pulled it open.

"Hey," Catherine greeted happily. "Sorry I'm late!"

"It's okay; We're not exactly on time."

Sara rushed down the stairs as she finished pulling the blue and black t-shirt over her head.

"Hi, thanks for babysitting. We'll see you later!" She hastily informed Catherine, who was standing by the door, still donning her coat and hat.

"Thanks. Sara, tell Liz goodbye," Gil laughed.

"Bye Liz. We'll see you in the morning," Sara gave Liz a quick peck on the cheek.

As Gil followed her out the door, a harsh reality struck her; She was the kind of parent she had never wanted to be.

"How could I forget to kiss my own daughter goodbye?" She asked while the two got in the Tahoe.

"We were in a hurry; It's okay. I'm sure it happens to every parent at some time or another. Don't worry about it, okay?"

Sara nodded; Gil gently kissed her on the cheek then started the vehicle.

As he backed the car out of the driveway, narrowly missing Catherine's car due to her rather poor parking job, she couldn't help but keep the subject on her mind.


	43. Babe

Sara silently processed the evidence in front of her; A blood soaked nightgown.

The body of a woman had been found in the desert, stripped of her clothes, with the nightgown clutched in her cold right hand.

Sara kept replaying the case details in her head, like a CD that kept skipping.

She didn't know why the specifics were swirling around her mind but it was getting a bit annoying.

"Hey, didn't know you were working tonight," A somewhat quiet voice greeted.

Sara spun around to see Jenna leaning against the door frame; Something didn't seem right by the look in the tall brunette's eyes.

"Hey yourself. Something wrong?"

Jenna entered the room, a small grin on her face.

"No, nothing's wrong. How are things your way?" She replied, sitting down on the empty chair next to Sara.

"Okay. Liz has a cold and I feel stupid but other than that, they're good. Nicky's treating you well?" Sara continued the conversation.

She bent over the nightmare once more, closely inspecting the blood stains.

"Very well; He's such a gentleman! I love him so much," Jenna sighed. "My shift is almost over; Going home to get some much needed rest. I'll see you later."

With that, she vanished faster than she had entered.

Sara shook her head as she maneuvered the clothing to examine the left shoulder of the garment.

Nearly three hours passed and no new evidence from the nightgown surfaced; She had combed every inch of the material and nothing.

With an exhausted sigh, Sara set off to the break room in search of coffee; As she neared it, muffled laughed could be heard.

"What the hell?" She mumbled to herself as she walked into the break room.

Nick, Jenna, and Greg were all seated at the table, giggling and laughing hysterically over something.

"Sara, how nice of you to join us!" Greg greeted through gasping breaths; He was trying to stop laughing but no luck yet.

"What! Aren't we supposed to be working?"

Nick wiped his eyes and smiled. "Yeah, but we're just taking a break. Really, we looked over some evidence for a while but decided we needed a break."

Sara rolled her eyes as she strode over to the coffee pot; A delicious smell was wafting through the air. It took her a minute, but Sara identified the aroma as Greg's special coffee.

She lifted the pot and poured some into a Styrofoam cup; Greg jumped up from his seat, hands held out in front of him in a surrendering form.

"No-no-no, please! That stuff is expensive!" He whined.

Sara took a sip from the cup in her hand. "Are you going to get back to work?"

The young man's shoulders drooped; Sara pulled her pinky finger from the coffee pot, making him shriek in the shrillest voice she had ever heard from a man.

"No, don't drop it! Please, I'll finish my work!" He gave in unwillingly.

Sara nodded her head and handed the pot to him; Nick burst out laughing once again.

"Man, no wonder you don't have a girl! You love your coffee more than you could love her!"

"Shut up," Greg chuckled. Then to his coffee he whispered, "It's okay. Daddy has you."

Jenna covered her face in her hands, an attempt to hide her laughter.

As Sara left the break room, still sipping the Blue Hawaiian coffee, she looked at Greg with her most evil look.

"Remember Mr. Sanders, I can know where you keep that coffee. Watch your back."

The door to the break room closed, but the laughter of Nick and Jenna could be heard, even through the thick doors.

"Babe, wait up!"

Sara turned around, being careful not to spill her drink, and saw Gil suddenly at her side.

"What did you call me?"

They began walking toward the room where she had been examining the nightgown.

"I don't know; What did I call you?"

"'Babe'. You've never called me babe! What's with the sudden new name?"

Entering the room with a sigh, he immediately slipped on a pair of rubber gloves and turned the gown on its back.

"I'm sorry, it was just the first thing to come to my mind. Look at this," He pointed to a slit in the back of the nightgown.

"What's that?"

Sara hastily pulled on a glove and picked up a pair of tweezers lying on the table; She carefully opened the tear and removed a small brown fiber.

"I'll get it to trace," She answered her own question. But before leaving, she added, "Hey, you can call me babe anytime."

She smiled at her husband; He returned the smile and she rushed off to give the lab rats something new to look over.


	44. Shock

**A/N: I'm glad you all seem happy with the story so far; I'm pretty shocked this is the 44th chapter! I hope you like this next one!**

"Hodges tested the fiber found in the victim's back; It's wood," Sara informed Gil.

He was seated behind his large desk; Sara in the green plastic chair she always sat in when in his office.

"Wood? That's odd; Anything else for me?"

She stood up from the chair and walked around the desk; She kissed him on the cheek then walked to the door.

"Babe?" Gil called, a smile on his tired face.

"Yes?"

She turned around and suddenly found herself feeling sick; She gasped and ran out of the office, one hand clamped over her mouth and the other clutching her stomach.

"Sara?" She heard Gil shout but his voice seemed far away.

As she entered the restroom and wheeled into the nearest stall, she felt a hand gently stroke her back and hold her hair out of her face as she emptied her stomach contents.

"Sar? You okay?" Gil asked once she had finished.

Slowly standing upright, Sara wasn't sure whether she was okay or not.

She wiped the corner of her mouth on the back of her hand; Nodding yes, she just wanted the horrible taste to leave her mouth.

"I need a drink," She mumbled as she wandered over to the sink.

Cupping her hand under the faucet, Sara took a small sip of the water, swished it around in her mouth and spit it out; She repeated this a few times before shutting the water off and pulling a paper towel out of the dispenser.

"Are you okay?" Gil inquired once again.

With a shake of her head, Sara smiled briefly at her husband; He took her hand in his and the two exited the restroom.

"What the hell were you doing in the woman's bathroom?" A giggling voice questioned from behind.

Without turning around, both Sara and Gil knew who the voice was.

"Jenna, I swear you get more immature with each passing day," Sara joked.

The brunette tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear with a smile on her face.

"Ha-ha, you're so funny. Are we hanging out tonight?"

"Mm-hmm, but just movies, okay? I really don't feel like shopping or anything," Sara answered with a grin.

"Cool. See you at 7!" Jenna replied as she walked into the locker room.

Sara glanced at her watch; Much to her surprise, shift was over. It sure didn't feel like she had worked an entire shift.

"Ready to go?" Gil asked.

The two were still holding hands; He gently stroked the back of her hand with his thumb as they walked outside.

"Yeah. I just want to go home and cuddle with Liz."

**At The House**

"Liz, we're home!" Sara shouted as she walked into the house.

A yelp, a bang and the patter of feet signaled Liz was on her way to greet her parents, followed closely behind by Lily.

"Mommy! I missed you," The small girl told her mother as she gave her a hug.

"I missed you too! Let's go sit on the couch and watch some TV, okay?"

Sara walked off to the living room with Liz in her arms, giving Catherine a little wave as she went.

"Hey, any problems?" Gil asked as he untied his shoes.

"No. She had a coughing fit but she's okay now; Something wrong with Sara? She didn't look too well."

The strawberry blond slipped on her jacket; The low sound of the TV came from the living room as Gil dropped his keys on the table by the door, almost as if that were it's signal to turn on.

"I'm not sure. She got sick at the lab but I didn't press it; She's probably coming down with strep or something. Are you watching movies tonight with Sara and Jenna?"

Catherine slapped her forehead with her hand.

"I completely forgot about that! Yeah I am; I'll talk to you later. Tell Sara I'll see her later!"

She left the house with a sigh, almost as if she were mad at herself for forgetting about movie night.

Gil wandered to the kitchen with one question weighing on his mind; Why had Sara gotten sick?

When he had reached the fridge, he opened the door and grabbed a water bottle; Questions swirled around his mind.

Of course, he kept these questions to himself; Sara sprinted into the kitchen, stopping briefly by the island in the center of the room.

"Thought I had to be sick but it must have been a false alarm," She sighed. With a gasp, she clasped her hand over her mouth and took off for the restroom once again, mumbling as she went, "Nope, not a false alarm."

Gil hated seeing her sick; It broke his heart even more than seeing Liz sick. But he didn't know that the problem lying ahead was much bigger than being sick.

Sara sighed as she flung the door to the large bathroom closet open, looking for anything to take away the sickness.

Medicine of any type wasn't found very often in the Grissom household; Liz's throat medicine and an unopened box of Tylenol were the only drugs Sara could think of that were in the house.

With an angry groan, she grabbed the doorknob, completely ready to slam the door shut but a small pink box on the top shelf of the closet/cupboard made her stop.

"What is that?" She whispered to herself.

Standing on her tiptoes, Sara stretched her arm up and pulled the box down; In an instant, she recognized the items.

Pregnancy strips.

Laughing at herself, she moved to put the box back but froze once again.

"What if I'm pregnant? No, that can't be; It just couldn't be," She continued talking quietly to herself.

After arguing with herself for several minutes, Sara opened the box and pulled one strip out.

She followed the directions word by word; After doing as they instructed, she placed the strip on the sink and washed her hands, which was slightly difficult because they were shaking so hard.

With a few deep breaths, she bit her lip and looked at the strip.

The results caused her to faint.


	45. Telling The Girls

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! I'm having loads of fun writing this; More so now than I used to be. I hope you like this next chapter!**

Sara knocked three times on the door to Nick and Jenna's house; Each time she had visited in the past, both of them had told Sara she didn't need to knock.

But just walking into someone's house just wasn't her thing.

"Hey! We were starting to wonder where you were," Jenna greeted as she opened the door and gestured for Sara to enter.

The foyer to the house was a grand entrance; A chandelier hung high up, illuminating anything that stepped into it's magnificent beams.

The floor was beautiful hardwood; It reflected anything and everything.

"Just… There was a little problem at home. It's fine though," Sara reassured both Jenna and Catherine, who had joined them at the doorway.

The events that had occurred earlier that day hung fresh in Sara's mind.

**Six Hours Earlier**

After fainting, Sara awoke twenty minutes later, lying on the bathroom floor.

"Sar? Is everything okay?" Gil's concerned voice asked from the other side of the oak door.

She quickly sat up and realized the strip that had just told her that at the end of the next nine months a new baby would be in her arms; With her pinky she pushed the strip off the sink and into the trash can on the floor.

Then with just as must haste, she stood up, unlocked the door and rushed back to the sink to wash her hands.

Gil entered, his face looking slightly pale.

"Sar, are you okay? Maybe you should go to the hospital," He suggested.

He gently stroked her back; Sara smiled briefly as she thought of all the times he had done that and how calming it was.

"No! I'll uh, I'll be okay. I'm just gonna hang out with Liz until it's time to go out with the girls."

With that she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and rushed out the bathroom, leaving Gil more baffled than when he had entered.

**Back To Girls Night**

"Problem? What kind of problem?" Catherine questioned. She popped a handful of popcorn into her mouth.

The three women were now seated in the living room on the large couch; Each one had their own unique sitting position.

"Yeah, what kind of problem?" Jenna joined in; She playfully slapped the strawberry-blond on the arm with a giggle. "Quit hogging the popcorn!"

Before Sara could answer, Nick entered the room with a smile.

"Ladies, no need to get physical! It might be fun to watch but wait until I get back to start the pillow fights; I'm leaving hon; Love you," He gave Jenna a kiss, waved to Sara and Catherine then left.

"He's so sweet," Jenna cooed, then realized the other two women were mock-gagging. "Sorry, but it's true!"

"Yeah yeah yeah; What movie are we watching?" Catherine asked. "Oh, right. We were still talking about the little problem. What exactly was it, anyway?"

Sara shook her head and groaned; Saying no to Catherine was like trying to nail Jello to a tree. It just didn't work and she knew that from past experience.

"It's not a little problem, it's huge."

Jenna and Catherine leaned toward Sara; Their excitement was visible through their eyes.

"No, I haven't even told Gil yet. I can't tell you two!"

Catherine raised one brow and turned her head to the right side; She was very intrigued by this problem and what it could possibly be.

"Is it bad?" Jenna asked, lowering her voice.

Sara shook her head once again; It was rather good. Terrifying and shocking, but good.

"Really, just wait until I tell him then I can tell you," She said with a smile.

Sighs came from Jenna and Catherine, but they both figured they wouldn't learn what this problem was tonight. They would have to wait until another day.

Silence filled the room except for the television, which was turned down so low just a few things could be heard.

Sara briefly considering telling the two that she was pregnant; After all, they were her best friends.

But Gil was her husband. He deserved to know his second child was growing inside of his wife.

"Okay. Pick a movie; This silence is killing me," Jenna jumped up from the couch. She walked over to the TV stand and opened a door, revealing more movies than most video stores have.

"Nick updated his collecting, I see," Catherine smirked. "How about… ooh, 'Runaway Bride'!"

Sara giggled quietly as Jenna tried to hide her amusement.

"Oh, so you think you're going to turn me into Maggie Carpenter, huh? Never gonna work."

She placed the disc in the DVD player and strode back to join her friends on the couch; After settling down between the two, she let her shoulders relax and yawned.

"Aw, ducking out on us early? Wittle baby gonna go nightie-night?" Catherine continued her jokes. "Damn, I am on a role tonight!"

Jenna bit her lip uncertainly and furrowed her brow; She had something to tell Sara and Catherine, but was it the right time?

"Guys?" She started nervously.

"Mm?" Both females answered at the same time.

Jenna sat up a little straighter and fidgeted a little, catching the attention of Catherine and Sara; They looked at each other, brows slight raised in an inquisitive form.

"Um, I have something to tell you. Nick and I just found out this afternoon," Catherine gasped whilst Sara clamped her hand over her mouth in shock. "You're quick to catch on. I'm pregnant."

Squeals of delight erupted from the two; They both hugged Jenna from either side, then sat backward, intent on getting more information.

"Oh my God! How far along are you?" Catherine began the questions.

"Two months."

"Let's see your stomach," Sara happily requested.

Jenna lifted her shirt a small bit, revealing her somewhat swollen stomach; More squeals followed seeing her abdomen and she smiled proudly.

Suddenly Sara felt she had to tell her joyous news; She knew she'd feel bad later for telling them before Gil, but she felt ready to burst from the thrill of knowing she was having another child.

"Hey, uh, I have some news of my own," Sara quietly announced.

Catherine and Jenna looked over at the smiling brunette; All was quiet, as if Sara were the most important person in the world and she was making a fascinating speech.

With a sigh, she inhaled deeply then shared, "I'm pregnant too."

A gasp and a giggle were heard; Sara couldn't tell which came from which woman.

"You too?" Jenna asked incredulously; She was grinning broadly and her green eyes were most definitely filled with happiness.

"You two planned this, didn't you? I swear, I feel so left out sometimes," Catherine laughed.

Sara stood up from the couch and moved the few feet over to where Jenna was seated; She bent down at the waist and gave the fellow brunette a hug.

Catherine giggled shortly. "Imagine, your kids are almost going to be the same age!"

More giggles and chatting filled the room; The movie had been completely forgotten and the women were now only interested in talking.

Sara cheerfully joined in the conversation but her mind was fixed on one thing: How would Gil handle the news?


	46. Telling Gil

Sara quietly tiptoed into the living room; She had just gotten home and had promised herself upon leaving the movie-a-thon that she would tell Gil she was pregnant.

Not to her surprise, he was seated on the couch, a book in hand whilst a Miller Lite sat on a coaster with a floral design; He glanced up as she tripped over a shoe lying in the middle of the floor.

"Hey babe," He smiled.

"Hi. Whatcha reading?" She kissed him on the cheek and joined him on the couch.

"Entomology book. It's interesting really."

Sara nodded a few times; "Now or never," Her mind reminded her.

"We need to talk," She softly announced.

Gil closed the book and looked at Sara, his blue eyes searching every inch of her chocolate ones.

Then without warning, he kissed her; A kiss so passionate, Sara's heartbeat increased instantly.

"Hey—" She started, mumbling between kisses.

"Mmm?"

The kiss intensified more; Gil's hand traveled down her cheek and rested on her neck. His thumb caressed the spot on her neck that usually drove her wild.

"I'm pregnant!" She blurted.

Time seemed to stop; Gil pulled back, his mouth slightly agape and brows raised.

"What?" He asked disbelievingly.

Sara sighed.

"I'm pregnant."

Gil licked his lips before closing his mouth; Surely she was joking.

"I found out this afternoon; That's why I've been throwing up. It's morning sickness," She explained, tugging at the edge of her shirt.

He ran his hand through his hair; The thoughts swirling throughout his mind were going so fast it was making him dizzy.

"Are you sure?"

Sara nodded her conformation.

A new baby? At his age? Okay, he wasn't that old, but he wasn't exactly young either.

"There's more," Sara winced. "I told Catherine and Jenna before you."

Silence fell between the two; The only sounds were those of the occasional car driving past and Lily whining in her sleep.

Just when Sara was going to repeat herself, Gil felt the need to answer.

"I-I'm not sure what to say. Or think. Anything else I should know?" He angrily asked.

"No! I'm sorry; It's just, we were all sitting there talking about Jenna's pregnancy and I just felt I had to tell someone."

"I'm going to bed. Good night," Gil icily told Sara.

He stood up from the couch and made his way upstairs; Sara listened to his pounding footsteps before bursting into tears.

**The Next Morning**

Sara awoke to discover she was still on the couch; Someone, she assumed it had been Gil, had covered her with a blanket.

Without looking in the mirror she could tell her eyes were puffy from crying; The mistake of telling her friends she was pregnant before her husband had hurt more than she had ever imagined.

"Mommy!" Liz shrieked, running into the room.

She stopped short at seeing her mother, tear stained cheeks and red eyes; Sara figured Liz was used to the sight by now, but the small girl wasn't.

"Mommy, what's wrong?"

She tiptoed the rest of the way to the couch; Gently, she climbed on top of her mother and rested on her knees.

"Just—Nothing baby. What's up with you?" Sara tried to wipe the tear marks from her cheeks.

"Daddy's taking me to the park! Please come with us," Liz begged.

She tugged incessantly on Sara's hand.

"Okay. I have to get dressed," She lifted Liz off of her knees and stood her up on the carpet; Lily playfully shook her head, one of Liz's doll held in between her teeth.

Sara smiled as she ran upstairs. Usually the park bothered her; Screaming children and loose dogs just weren't her thing.

But she figured a trip out of the house with Gil might give them some time to talk while Liz played happily, unaware she was no longer in Sara's book an only child.

**Bright Springs Park**

"What a stupid name for a park!" Sara giggled as the family hopped out of the vehicle.

It currently wasn't bright; In fact, most of the park, including the bike trails were shaded by huge oak trees.

And springs were no were near this particular park.

Gil was silent, sunglasses covering his eyes and Liz was chatting up a storm with Sara; She nodded, not paying the slightest attention to her hyper daughter.

"Mommy, I'm gonna go on the swings; Watch me, okay?"

Liz sprinted off, smiling.

"I think we need to talk," Gil said suddenly.

The two sat down the bench nearest to the swings; They could hear and see Liz perfectly, so Sara nodded for him to continue.

"I—I'm sorry for the way I acted last night," He softly said, looking down at the mixture of grass and mulch under his feet.

"It's okay; I should have told you right when I found out. I'm sorry."

A single tear spilled over the edge of her eyelid; Gil turned so he was facing her and cupped her face in his hands.

"Don't cry. There's nothing to cry about," He whispered, wiping the tear off her cheek.

Sara sniffled.

"Do you think we can go through that again?" She asked; The tears were building up behind her brown eyes.

She wasn't so sure that she could handle having a baby again.

"We'll make it work," Gil reassured her.

He pulled her into a hug.

He kept his right arm around her shoulders as they sat back and watched Liz swinging, content on being alone.

Little did she know that in a few months, her freedom and alone time would be non-existent.


	47. Phone

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. **inagadadavita, **I see you decided to comment again. I just have one little itty bitty question; If this story is so bad, why do you keep reading it? jtbwriter, I really love it when you review. It brightens my day to see that little 'Now what:)' Keep 'em coming!**

**Four Months Later**

Sara sat comfortably on the cream colored sofa in the living room; The television remote in one hand and a fudge pop in the other, she was set for an afternoon of just lounging on the couch.

"Honey, I really love this new couch!" She shouted to Gil, who was in the kitchen making their late lunch.

The old couch had grown saggy and the springs poked the person sitting on it.

"That's good babe," He replied.

Sara was quite sure Gil was a little annoyed by her lately; She often talked non-stop, about anything and everything. And her emotions seemed to have gone haywire, along with her appetite.

She ate things that she'd never even thought of before.

Popsicles with salt, lettuce with steak sauce and her favorite, pretzels with ketchup. Just thinking of the foods made her hungry.

A lot had changed over the months; Jenna's stomach was now the size of a medium beach ball.

The two women often got together at odd times; During the middle of the night and early in the morning were the most common. They'd talk and share the latest cravings, basically just have a good time.

Gil must have been feeling left out because one Sunday afternoon much to Sara's surprise, she walked into the living room to find her husband on the couch, along with Nick, Warrick and Greg.

She smiled at the thought; The boys were watching a baseball game.

Her grin turned to a frown as she remembered that same afternoon and telling Liz that she was going to be a big sister.

The little girl had been crushed; She had always wanted a baby sister but now that she was getting one, her world seemed to crumble.

But like all things, Liz changed as time passed.

She couldn't wait for the baby to arrive and was extremely excited for the time to come when the nursery would need decorated.

"Sara, you want ketchup on this sandwich?" Gil asked from the kitchen, jolting his wife from her thoughts.

"Um no. Just mustard please!"

The phone rang, making it impossible for Sara to return to the memories.

"Hello?" She inquired, picking up the phone.

"Is Mr. Grissom home?" Sara responded yes. "May I speak to him?" The female on the other line requested.

Sara raised one brow as Gil entered the living room, carrying a plate containing two sandwiches for her.

"It's… it's for you," She swallowed as she handed the cordless phone to him.

He wandered out of the room, looking just as confused as Sara.

She shrugged and took a bite of her sandwich; After a moment of chewing, she realized something was wrong.

"What the hell is this?" She asked herself, mouth still full.

Peeling back the bread, She saw that the unidentified meat was turkey.

Then, shocking her even further, she swallowed the mouthful of turkey sandwich.

"No-no-no. I didn't just eat that," She whined.

Being a strict vegetarian, Sara stayed are far away from meat as possible; The very thought of swallowing part of an animal made her sick to her stomach.

Something in Sara's mind clicked.

"Damn. That was good," She sighed. Eating the sandwich would go against most of the things she stood for.

But it tasted so good.

"You had better be nice to me when you're born," She gently rubbed her stomach, talking to the child inside of her. "Mommy's gonna eat this sandwich because you think it tastes good."

She ate the rest of the sandwich and sighed when it was gone; Now to find some entertainment.

She picked the remote up off the floor and flipped through the channels.

"You'd think that with 125 channels I'd be able to find something to watch," She said aloud.

Lily padded into the room, her large Blood Hound ears flopping wildly as she jumped onto the couch.

She was no longer a puppy, but wasn't yet a full grown dog. She was rather large but everyone in the family loved her.

She dropped her head into Sara's lap and looked up expectantly almost as if to say "Hey, what are you waiting for? Scratch my ears!"

Sara smiled as she gently scratched the dog's ears; While Liz was at school Lily often came to Sara for attention.

As she gently petted Lily, Sara's mind wandered to Gil and the phone call.

**The Kitchen**

Gil was standing at the kitchen sink, one hand bracing himself against the counter and the other draped over his face.

He replayed the beginning of the phone call in his head; He wasn't sure he had heard right before dropping the phone to the ground.

"This is Grissom," The Entomologist alerted the person on the other line.

"Grissom. This is Lady Heather."


	48. Tea For Two

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! I hope you like this chapter!**

Gil bent down and picked up the telephone he had thrown onto the floor, then walked over to the kitchen table and sat down.

"Why did she call?" He whispered to himself.

He hadn't spoken to her in nearly eight years; After her daughter had been murdered, he had stayed over at her house for two weeks. It was solely to comfort her and they both knew that.

The phone rang again causing him to jump; He sighed and pressed the 'talk' button.

"Hello?" His voice came out softer than expected.

"I honestly thought you had better manners than that," Heather's calm voice joked from the other end of the line.

"Heather, what exactly do you want?" Gil asked.

He wasn't in the mood for games or anything else she had planned, and those two facts were evident in his voice.

"I-I'm sorry, is this a bad time?"

He didn't answer at first; At one time Heather had been the woman of his dreams.

But that was before he came to his senses and married Sara.

"No, not a bad time. Is something wrong?" The coldness in his voice disintegrated from his voice almost instantly, and concern took over.

"No nothing's wrong. I was just wondering if you would like to join me for tea this afternoon," She smiled into the phone even though Gil couldn't see her.

He always astounded her; For a man who studied bugs and saw dead people more than the living, he was quite the gentleman.

"Oh. Um, tea? This afternoon?" He sighed as a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "What time?"

**Lady Heather's Dominion**

"So Grissom, how are things in your house?" Lady Heather asked.

She was wearing a black knitted duster coat; A nice change from her usual leather and lace.

She gently lifted the faintly colored teapot and poured some of the tea into both of the cups in front of her.

Being a diabetic, no sugar or milk was added into hers; Gil dropped one sugar cube into his and sipped the herbal tea.

"Well um, I'm married. I have a daughter; She's 6. And another on the way," He grinned proudly.

Heather raised her chin up as she smiled, suppressing her laughter; Gil with a daughter? Was he joking?

"Oh and we have a dog. A blood hound."

The thought of him with a family proved to be too much. A mixture of coughing and laughing came from her side of the table.

Gil was confused; He didn't understand what was so funny.

"What did I say?"

Heather inhaled deeply, struggling to maintain her composure.

"It's just rather amusing to think of you with a family," She giggled.

In all the years Gil had known her, which was almost twelve years, he had never seen or heard her laugh. She sounded so happy which was a big change from the last time he had seen her.

"Really? And why is that?" He asked.

She sighed, still giggling quietly. After regaining control of herself, Heather sipped her tea before answering.

"Because when I first met you, you were absolutely buried by your work. I don't know, it's just sort of shocking so to think of you as a family man," She explained.

Gil finished off his cup of tea with one last gulp.

"How have you been?" He cautiously inquired.

She seemed better than she had been seven years ago; Gil assumed she was fine, considering her laughter from a few moments earlier.

"Ah, I have my days, you know? Yesterday I told my girls that I was doing important paper work in my office; Really I was eating Rocky Road straight out of the tub," She smiled.

Gil loved her smile; Before his ear surgery, he loved having an excuse to look at her lips. The excuse had been that he couldn't hear well and therefore had to read her lips.

Now he couldn't get away with that so when she smiled, he had a reason.

"Why were you eating Rocky Road? I always thought you liked plain vanilla," A grin spread on his face as she seemed shocked.

To tell the truth, she was shocked; He remembered that vanilla was her favorite.

"Well I was out of vanilla. So I had to improvise. Who are you married to?"

For some reason, Gil felt guilty.

He was sitting here having a good time with a woman whom he had loved at one time. And Sara didn't know about it.

"Um, Sara Sidle. She's one of the CSIs at the lab. I don't think you met her," He replied. "Well, she used to be Sara Sidle. Now she's Sara Grissom."

"And your daughter?"

"Liz. She's 6. She's the most adorable little girl ever; Book worm, science lover. Sara always tells me it's clear that Liz is my daughter," He smiled.

Liz was playing at a friend's house; She often stayed home on the weekend but had decided to go play with her friends for a change.

Gil looked down at the hardwood floor then up at Heather.

Her brown hair was darker than he remembered; She still looked very gorgeous and he couldn't deny that.

A few things had changed about her. He had noticed them but said nothing.

"Something wrong?"

Her emerald gaze was as piercing as ever.

"No," He paused, not sure whether or not to continue. "I'm really glad you called; Thanks for inviting me."

"You said Sara's pregnant again?" She took a sip of tea, finishing off the cup.

"Yeah. I was really scared at first. I mean, being a dad again at my age? But I'm really excited for the baby to be born," He chuckled quietly.

Glancing at his watch, Gil realized the time and also realized he had to leave.

"Heather, thank you for having me. I'm sorry to cut this visit short but I have to pick up a few things from the grocery store and they close in just a little while."

The dominatrix stood up to accompany Gil to the door.

"Thank you for coming out. If you ever need a babysitter, please don't hesitate to call. I've been told I'm great with kids," She smiled.

Gil gently gave Heather a hug then ran outside and climbed into his vehicle.

He waved from the car as he pulled away; Heather returned inside the house with a smile on her face.

"He really is quite odd," She giggled as she cleared away the remaining tea.


	49. Ice Cream and School

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I decided to have that little bit of drama in the last chapter because I felt like it. Enjoy!**

"Babe, I'm home!"

Gil walked into the house, tossed his keys on the table by the door and strode into the living room.

A smile spread on his face as he saw Sara; She was lying on the couch on her right side, facing the door. Her chestnut hair had fallen in her face, sticking to her cheek.

He briefly considered not waking her, just letting her get the rest she needed.

But he felt guilty; Guilty that he had gone to see Lady Heather and Sara hadn't known. Even though nothing had happened, he felt his wife deserved to know where he had been.

"Sara," Gil whispered. He gently shook her shoulder and after a moment of that, she groggily awoke.

"What?" She spotted the grocery bag and gasped. "Ooh, did you get vanilla mint ice cream for me? I saw a commercial for it earlier and it looked so damn good."

Gil couldn't help but smile; He had been prepared for her appetite this pregnancy. With a chuckle he pulled a container of ice cream from the bag he was holding in the crook of his left arm.

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" She giggled happily. After a long sigh, she remembered to ask him another question. "Hey, where'd you go this afternoon? I can't recall what you told me."

Sara didn't mind at all whenever Gil left the house; As a matter of fact, she enjoyed it. That way she could eat whatever her cravings called for and not feel like a pig.

Gil joined Sara on the couch, being extra careful to avoid sitting on her feet.

"Sar, I… went out to see Lady Heather. We just had tea and talked. I swear, nothing happened," He quickly blurted.

He was afraid she would go insane, be completely pissed off that he had gone to see Lady Heather. Much to his surprise, she wasn't mad.

"Okay, cool. I've never met her; Is she nice?"

Sara stood up from the couch, ice cream tub still in hand; Gil watched as she placed one hand on her stomach for a moment, then walked out of the room.

He could hear her open a drawer and pull out a piece of silverware; The house usually wasn't that quiet.

"Aren't you going to answer me?"

"That was fast," He grinned and patted the seat next to him, just wanting to be near her. "Heather's very nice. She even offered to babysit for us sometime!"

Sara pulled the lid off of the container of ice cream and dug in; She moaned joyously as the cold treat hit her tongue. "Thank you so much, Gil," She mumbled.

He nodded as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder's; She rested her head on his arm, raising it only to get another bite of ice cream.

The two sat there, perfectly content just to be in the other's company, until they both eventually fell asleep/

**The Next Morning**

"Mommy! It's time for school!" Liz shouted from the kitchen.

"Mmm-hmm."

Sara brought her hand up to her face and rubbed at her eyes, trying to wake up.

"Oh shit," Gil mumbled from beside her.

More muttering followed as he tripped over several things lying on the floor and a giggle was heard from Liz.

Sara desperately tried to open her eyes and help get her daughter ready for school, but she was especially tired for some reason.

With her each of her index fingers, she was able to pull both of her eyes open; The bright sunlight immediately caused her let them close once again and after sitting up, she repeatedly blinked her eyes until the sunlight wasn't such a shock.

"Bye mom! See you after school!" Liz grinned as Sara leaned against the doorframe to the living room.

Gil gave his wife a quick kiss on the cheek then rushed out the door, leaving Sara to decide whether she wanted to go back to sleep or feed Lily.

"Lily! Come here girl! Come on," She shouted for the dog to come find her.

Obediently the blood hound sauntered out of the kitchen and sat at Sara's feet.

"Okay, let's go get some food."

The two walked back to the kitchen, Lily following Sara; Once they reached their destination, Sara saw that the dog already had fresh water and food.

"Well so much for that. Go eat," She told Lily.

A yawn escaped her lips followed by a sigh.

"Lil, I'm tired of being hungry all the time."

Lily continued eating her food, paying no attention to the woman seated at the table.

Sara stood up and walked to the fridge; After looking at all of her choices, she pulled out a small container of yogurt and strode back to the table to sit back down.

As soon as she was seated, the phone rang.

She mumbled under her breath as she stood up once again to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Sara it's Catherine. Is Gil coming in today?" The strawberry-blond asked.

"I don't know. His hours are so screwed up I can't keep track of them anymore. What's up with me not working lately?" Sara replied.

She titled her head back and held the spoon over her mouth; Slowly, she tipped it so the yogurt ran off the spoon into her mouth.

"Um, something to do with the budget," Catherine answered. "I don't know. Everything is messed up. I'll call you later."

Sara pulled the telephone away from her ear as the feedback screeched.

With an angry sigh she strolled over to the table and sat back down.

"Just you and me, Lily."

The dog barked once then ran off to find one of her toys, leaving Sara alone and bored.


	50. So Much For Fun

**I wanted to post this before the new CSI; Hope you like it!**

"Have you ever noticed that Lily will not leave me alone when I don't want her around but when I do, she's nowhere to be found?" Sara asked Gil as he entered the house.

He had been gone exactly twenty minutes and in those twenty minutes, Sara had become extraordinarily bored.

Nothing worth watching seemed to be on television this early; The news was too serious and she didn't feel serious. Cartoons were too annoying and everything else was either a talk show or a soap opera.

After surfing the channels, she went in search of Lily; Every room of the house had been searched and she was no where to be found. Sara finally spotted her out in the back yard, but when called for, Lily refused to come entertain the pregnant woman.

So for the remaining time before Gil arrived back home, Sara sat on the couch and did nothing.

"I know. Hey, did Catherine call?" He asked as he bolted up the stairs.

An agonized sigh echoed throughout the house; It became clear that Gil did have to go to work.

Which meant Sara would be home alone; Without anything to do.

"Yeah she called."

Rummaging could be heard from upstairs. Sara figured he was looking for some decent clothes to wear to the lab.

"Check the closet!" She called.

The padding of footsteps caused her to look up at the ceiling; She could tell Gil was walking from the dresser to the closet.

"Thanks!"

She sighed again.

She didn't want to be alone; A thought flashed through her mind that possibly she was being self-centered but she just shook it away.

Another thing Sara had noticed since learning of her pregnancy was that she didn't care about thinking about herself. Any other thing she would focus on the people around her, that way she didn't have to think about her problems.

Knowing she was acting selfish really bothered her; Selfish people annoyed her and knowing she was being one almost made Sara sick.

"Babe, I'm really sorry I can't just lay on the couch with you. Call Jenna and invite her to hang out," Gil suggested as he walked into the living room.

"Yeah I will. Shoes?"

"Where are they?"

Sara thought for a moment then smiled.

"Under the table in the kitchen."

Gil nodded absentmindedly and sprinted off to get his shoes.

Sara picked the telephone up off the receiver and dialed Jenna's cell phone; It hadn't even finished ringing the first time and it was answered.

"Sara? Thank God!" Jenna sighed into the phone.

"Hey. Would you like to come over and hang out with me? I'm so bored it's insane," Sara replied, not even bothering with small talk.

"I'll be there in half an hour."

**Thirty Minutes Later**

Sara jumped up from the couch and rushed to answer the door; As she pulled it open, she emitted a gasp.

"I know, I know. I'm huge, right? Don't bother, I hear it enough at home," Jenna laughed as she entered the house.

"Well, you are! I'm sorry, but you are giant. The doctor said it's only one?" Sara inquired, peering curiously at her friend's swollen stomach.

Sara led the way into the living room where the two sat down on the couch; Almost instantly after sitting down, Jenna sighed happily.

"Oh this couch is awesome! Um, well they can't be sure but it's only supposed to be one," Jenna explained, lovingly placing her hand on the center of her beach ball-like abdomen. "Nick's excited. He's counting the days until the little nameless baby comes."

Sara smiled; The thought of Nick being excited about being a dad bringing back old memories.

"You'll pick out a name; Liz wasn't named until about an hour before she was born! So, how do we plan on spending our afternoon?"

The two sat in silence for almost five minutes and no ideas arose.

"Movies are too overrated. I can't stay awake through them anymore! You have any ideas?" Jenna bit her lip as she tried to think of anything worth suggesting.

"Hmm… Just want to talk? Ooh, Gil got me the new mint ice cream! We could eat that while we catch up."

Jenna nodded enthusiastically.

"But before you do, I have a question."

Sara leant forward; Any questions she could answer, she would be happy to do so.

"Is it scary? Knowing that you will be completely responsible for another human being?" The brunette sitting next to Sara inquired.

Sara noticed Jenna's bottom lip quiver slightly.

"No. It's a nice feeling; And it's amazing to hold your child for the first time. I can't explain the emotion, but when you do, it'll take away all the fear you've ever experienced about raising a baby," Sara comforted.

Jenna swallowed quickly before thanking her. "Thanks. I'd be lost without your help."

"Don't mention it. Ready for ice cream?"

Jenna nodded and Sara rose from the couch; She walked to the freezer, glancing out in the fenced in back yard to see Lily lying lazily in the sun.

Pulling out the half-eaten container of ice cream, she smiled and took a step to her right to get two spoons.

The house was quiet from every direction; Sara expected to hear Jenna at least humming. She did that occasionally just out of habit and was constantly worried that she was bothering someone with the songs she hummed; Sara had time and time again convince her that no one cared if she hummed, but Jenna was still worried.

Sara giggled once as she walked into the living room.

"So much for a fun afternoon," She whispered, walking over to the couch.

The woman's eyes fluttered occasionally in her sleep, indicating either a bad dream or a deep sleep, Sara couldn't determine which.

Carefully she lifted Jenna's feet and sat down, placing the socked feet in her lap; She opened the ice cream tub and scraped a spoonful of the almost solid layer of frozen treat.

"Sleep tight," Sara murmured.

She took another bite of ice cream and turned the television on, repeating her early morning channel surfing.


	51. Early Morning Wake Up

"So you spent the whole day flipping through the channels?" Gil asked, chuckling quietly.

He was standing over the kitchen sink washing the dishes from dinner whilst Sara sat at the at the table; This was an every evening routine for the husband and wife.

Gil didn't mind cleaning and Sara hated it; It was just another thing they didn't have in common.

"Yeah. It's not surprising though, I mean she is six months pregnant."

The sound of water running filled the kitchen as Gil rinsed off the last pan. After setting it in the drainer in the sink not filled with water, he turned around and leant back on the counter.

"Are you ready for bed?"

Sara shook her head, clearly indicating she wasn't.

"What do you want to do?"

A grin crossed her face and Gil could have sworn that he saw her eyes twinkle as she stood up from the table.

Stepping lightly so not to attract the attention of Lily, she grabbed Gil's hand, gently pulling him behind her as she walked out the back door.

The air wasn't cold yet wasn't hot either; It was perfect. The sky was clear of clouds but stars littered the dark sky, making the scene breathtaking.

"What are we doing?" Gil inquired.

Sara briefly spun around to face him, simply pressing her index finger to her lips, signaling for him to be quiet.

She walked along the cool cement patio in her sock feet for a few more steps then stopped suddenly.

"Here," She whispered.

Gil looked to where she was pointing; A swing.

Not the kind you see on swing sets. This was a swing on a frame nearly as tall as Gil, with a cushion that seemed overstuffed. It even had a canopy.

"Wow! When did we get this?"

Sara released his hand from her grip as she sat down on the swing with a happy sigh. "Nick and Warrick set it up this afternoon. I thought you could use a place to relax."

With a smile Gil joined his wife on the swing; After sitting down he gently got the swing going and his smile widened.

"This is awesome. Thanks babe," He whispered as he kissed Sara.

"I'm glad you like it. Hey, I was thinking… maybe you could call Lady Heather," Sara adjusted her wedding ring as she said the sentence.

"Heather? Why?"

"Well we haven't been out of the house without Liz in a while. Maybe a night out would be fun before I can't do anything."

Gil silently thought it over; The thought of Heather playing Barbies with Liz was amusing, causing him to emit a short laugh.

"Is that a yes?" Sara glanced up at Gil.

He nodded with a grin. "Yeah I'll call her tomorrow."

**The Next Day**

"Mommy! It's Saturday!" Liz happily announced as she ran into her parents' bedroom with a grin.

Sara yawned, forcing her eyes open. After her eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight coming in through the large bay window she looked at the alarm clock on the night stand on her side of the bed and saw it said 7:02.

"Liz, it's a little early don't you think?"

The young girl answered her mother by jumping up and down on the bed, insuring that Sara would wake up.

"Okay-okay! I'm up!" Sara groaned in defeat.

Liz giggled as she sat down Indian style next to Sara's half awake form. "Mommy?"

"Yes?"

"When is the baby coming?" Liz cocked her head to the left side; It was visible in her brown eyes that she was full of questions.

"Not for another five months," Sara answered, rapidly blinking her eyes as she tried to stay awake.

She had never been a morning person; Liz hadn't caught on to this fact yet.

"That's a long time. When is Jenna's baby gonna be born?"

"Another three months."

The questions continued for what seemed like hours; The next time Sara looked at the clock, it read 8:20.

"Okay I suppose I'm up. That only took more than an hour," She giggled as Liz jumped off the bed, waiting for her mother to follow her. "What would you like for breakfast?"

"I already had some," Liz answered. "I've been up since 5. Daddy made me pancakes!"

"Where is daddy?" Sara wondered as she stood up from the bed and followed Liz out of the room and down the stairs.

She tied the sash to her soft pink bathrobe loosely, so not to draw unwanted attention to her stomach which seemed to be larger every day.

"Lily and I were waiting for the sun to come up so we could play outside. Can we? Please?" Liz excitedly jumped up and down as she awaited an answer from her mother.

"Well you have to get dressed first."

Liz sprinted from the room to find the appropriate clothes to wear outside.

Sara smiled as she thought, "I've never met any other little girl who would rather play outside than watch television."

Faster than she had left, Liz appeared again, dressed in jean shorts and a blue t-shirt.

"Come on Lily!" She called as she ran out the back door.

Sara smiled once again as she watched Liz run around the yard, stopping occasionally to look at a butterfly or another bug.

Voice breaking, she whispered to herself, "That's my girl."


	52. Groceries

"Heather, it's Gil."

"Hello. I didn't expect to talk to you again for a while," He could almost hear the brunette smile.

"Well, is that babysitter offer still standing?" Gil inquired.

He was multi-tasking. Grocery shopping and setting up plans for a sitter for Liz. Usually Sara went grocery shopping on Saturday mornings but since she had been asleep when he woke up, Gil figured he could handle it.

He just needed some junk food and the errand would be done.

"Sure. When do you need me?" Heather's voice seemed to brighten at the sound of getting to watch Liz.

"Is tonight okay? If you already have plans jus—"

"Gil, I don't have plans. Tell me a time and I'll be there," She gently interrupted.

Gil smiled as he dropped his arm load of various chips into the cart, granting a few stares from an elderly woman passing him.

"See you at six?"

"I'll be there."

**Back At The Grissom Household**

"Daddy's home," Sara whispered to the little girl on her lap; At the rate her stomach was growing, they both knew that their days of sitting on the couch like that were numbered.

Liz hopped off of her mother's lap and took off for the garage.

Sara intently listened to the sounds of the car doors closing, Gil greeting his daughter with a hug and then Liz running back into the house.

"Daddy went grocery shopping!" She shared with Sara in an astounded tone.

Sara grinned as she slowly stood up from the couch and followed Liz out to the kitchen to see that Gil had indeed gone shopping.

He entered the house with his arms full of brown bags; Sara quickly grabbed two before the groceries and her husband went toppling onto the floor.

"Thanks. There's more outside so I'll be right back."

He sprinted outside to get the rest of the things he had bought, leaving Sara to glance around what seemed like a sea of bags.

"Holy sh—" Liz shot Sara a warning glance, so the older brunette quickly changed the words ready to spill out of her mouth. "Sheez! That's what I was going to say."

Liz giggled and peered into one of the bags.

"Daddy got a lot of food."

Sara nodded in agreement as she began putting away the massive collection of food.

"Hey, I have a surprise for you, Liz," Gil smiled as he put the last bag down on the table.

"Really? What is it?"

Being a little girl, Liz did love surprises. It didn't seem to matter what they were, she loved anything and everything.

"Well, mommy and I are going out tonight so you get to… hang out with a friend of mine!"

Liz cocked her head to the left side. "Who is it?"

"Her name is Heather. She's really nice and you'll love her."

"Oh. Okay!"

With that, the little girl ran from the room, shouting as she went, "Lily! We're getting company!"

Gil walked up behind Sara and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his hands on her somewhat swollen abdomen.

"So, where would you like to go?" He inquired.

"It doesn't matter to me. You can pick," Sara replied, tilting her head back to rest on Gil's shoulder.

"Well she'll be here at six and then we can leave. That's in…" He glanced at his watch. "Two hours."

"Let's drive around until we find something that looks worth doing," Sara suggested.

Gil nodded and gave his wife a quick peck on the cheek. "You can go rest. I'll put these away."

"I'm more than willing to help, but if you insist."

Sara walked away with a smile, her hand gently stroking her stomach.

"Liz, what on Earth are you doing to that dog?" She asked her daughter as she walked into the living room.

Liz was seated on the floor next to Lily, who raised her head up upon seeing Sara. Barrettes and other hair clips were stuck on top of Lily's head and on her sides.

"Honey take those off of her. They're not meant for dogs," Sara explained with a giggle.

Liz smiled bashfully as she carefully removed the clips; Once all of them were gone, Lily ran off to search for safety.

"Thank you. Make sure you're a good girl for Heather, okay?"

Sara sat down on the couch and was immediately joined by Liz.

"I will be. I promise; I'm a good girl," She smiled up at her mother.

"Yes, you are a good girl. I just have to remind you sometimes; It's a mommy thing," Sara kissed Liz's cheek with a grin.

"Mommy, she's not a mean lady is she?" Liz continued with the questions.

"I don't think so. Daddy says she's nice so I'm sure she is."

Liz hugged Sara and rested her head gently on her stomach. The two rested there on the couch awaiting the arrival of Babysitter Heather.


	53. The Arrival of Sitter Heather

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you like this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own CSI, GMC or Barbie. I am not profiting from this story in any way.**

The sound of a car pulling into the driveway forced Sara to try and button her pants faster. She had come to the conclusion that new clothes had to be purchases; And soon.

"Finally!" She sighed as the button to her jeans slipped through the denim button hole; She rested her hand on her stomach with a smile. "Mommy is getting fat because of you but I still love you more than you'll ever know."

Grin still present on her face she made her way over to the window to see a woman getting out of a dark blue Denali.

"Does everyone in Vegas drive a stupid GMC?" She asked herself, rushing out of the room to alert Gil that 'the sitter' had arrived.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, it appeared to Sara that he already knew.

Gil smoothed his hair back with his hands; He looked more handsome than ever to her. His blue eyes lit up as he turned to see Sara standing halfway up the stairs.

"You look beautiful," He grinned.

Sara blushed and looked down at herself; He thought jeans and a long sleeved shirt was beautiful?

The doorbell rang, sending the _ding-dong_ echoing throughout the house.

Gil took one step closer to the door and pulled it open.

A woman a bit taller than Sara stood on the cement porch; Her chestnut hair fluttered in the wind, blowing it in her face. She tucked it back behind her ear with a smile.

"Hello," Her voice was cool and relaxed; For some reason Sara imagined her voice would be different, deeper and more husky. But it wasn't; The woman's voice was actually very pretty.

"Heather, please come in."

Gil opened the door wider to allow Heather to step in; She nodded once to him as she took a few steps in.

Sara saw that she had made a few assumptions about Lady Heather; And so far both had been wrong. She had assumed Heather would be wearing leather or something like it, considering she was a dominatrix.

But she wore a pair of dark blue jeans and a white long sleeved shirt that clung to her skin; Sara was surprised Heather was even able to breathe.

"Thanks for coming. This is Sara," He motioned to his wife who was walking down the remaining stairs.

The two women met eyes before

"Sara, nice to meet you. I remember him saying you're pregnant?" Heather's eyes wandered to Sara's stomach. "How far along are you? If you don't mind me asking, that is."

Sara reached the bottom of the stairs with a grin.

"Sixteen weeks."

A smile now spread on Heather's face, revealing white teeth and a straight smile; Gil had almost forgotten how gorgeous she was, and he had seen her a few days ago.

"I hope everything goes well for you. Isn't there supposed to be a little girl and a dog here?" Heather questioned.

Gil motioned for both women to follow him. He led the way into the living room.

Liz was on her stomach lying on the floor, with paper and crayons surrounding her.

"Liz, sweetie, the babysitter' here."

After putting one last touch on her drawing, the small girl leapt up from the floor.

"Hi!" She squeaked, extending her hand for Heather to shake.

Heather glanced at Gil and Sara with a grin; She bent down and took Liz's hand.

"Hi. You must be Liz," The little girl nodded happily. "I'm Heather. What were you drawing?"

Liz pulled her hand away as she ran over and pick the picture up. She pointed to each thing on the paper.

"My mommy, daddy, me and the new baby when it's born."

"That's a very nice picture."

Liz smiled broadly at Heather then ran back to the section of the floor she had been laying on.

"She's adorable," Heather told Gil and Sara as she stood back up. "Anything I should know? Allergies, bedtime, rules?"

"Right. Um, no allergies. Bedtime is nine or nine-thirty, which ever. Rules are pretty basic; No coloring on walls, be nice to Lily, just really simple stuff," Gil explained, nodding his head.

"Okay. Well, I'm going to go do my job now, if you don't mind."

Heather smiled briefly at the couple before her then strode toward Liz. Their talking made Sara grin, once again amazed by her daughter.

"So, what would you like to play?" Heather asked Liz; She joined her in sitting on the floor, folding her legs under her.

"Barbies!" Liz jumped up once again and took off to find the dolls.

"I've never played Barbies," Heather laughed, moving so she was facing Gil and Sara.

A look of shook took over Sara's face.

"Never played Barbies? Well you'll get your fair share of it; Liz loves to play them."

Secretly, Sara wondered why Heather had never played with the dolls; Almost every female she knew had at one time owned or at least had played with a Barbie doll.

"My mother didn't approve of Barbie, if that's what you're wondering," Heather suddenly offered.

Sara shook her head to signal that wasn't what she had been thinking but just as she began to speak, Liz ran back into the room.

"Okay, I have three Ken dolls and ten Barbies. You get to pick your girl doll and then her husband," Liz explained calmly.

"Well, we're going to leave now. Liz, behave and have a time nice," Gil said before the two started their game.

Sara walked over to her daughter and kissed her on top of the head. Gil did the same.

"Enjoy yourselves!" Heather called after them as they left the house.

As Gil closed the door, Sara burst into a fit of giggling.

"What's so funny?" He asked with a confused look.

"We're leaving our daughter with a dominatrix!" Sara shared through laughs.


	54. Dolls and Such

**Disclaimer: I don't own CSI, Barbie, GMC or Borders. Using them only to entertain myself and a few others.**

"So Barbie, uh, wanna go to dinner with me?" Heather altered her voice whilst moving the Ken doll from side to side to add the effect that it was talking.

Liz giggled as she watched the woman lying on the floor on her stomach a few inches away; She had expected the babysitter to be mean and old, when it fact Liz had discovered that she was neither.

"Ken, I'm so over you!" Heather managed to squeak in a high-pitched voice before bursting into a fit of laughter.

Liz's face turned with hilarity as Heather, whose face was nearly the same shade, tossed the doll aside.

"Aren't Barbies fun?" Liz asked, gathering up the dolls as the laughter subsided. She had decided it was time for a new game.

"Yeah."

Heather didn't understand the appeal of playing with the dolls that seemed to draw so much drama from little girls.

She didn't know if they really weren't fun or if she had long ago passed the age that made playing with dolls enjoyable.

Liz hurried out of the room, arms full of Barbie's friends and accessories, saying as she went, "I'll be right back!"

Heather pushed herself up into the sitting position; She had been astounded by the little girl's intelligence earlier. Liz had informed her that golf courses were a blight to the environment because of the chemicals they use to keep the grass green.

And when asked if her father had taught her that, she replied with a smile, "No. I got it from the Gilmore Girls."

But it still shocked Heather that a girl of that age could repeat such information and not misuse any of the words.

The patter of feet jolted Heather from her thoughts.

"Let's play with my baby doll! My mommy is going to have a baby and I want to practice so I can be a good sister!" Liz grinned.

She was holding the slightly bald doll correctly, which was something not every little girl can do.

"Okay," Heather smiled broadly. She laughed inside as she thought, "It's going to be a long night."

**The Strip Shopping Plaza**

"Milady, where shall we go first?" Gil chuckled as he pulled into the only empty parking space he had seen all evening.

"Let's leave the theater up to the pros," Sara replied with a smile. "How about Borders?"

Gil nodded once before opening his door and stepping out. He stood beside the vehicle just glancing around.

Sara walked in front of the Tahoe; The semi-cold Vegas air blew her hair out behind her.

"You look gorgeous," He grinned as he joined her in front of the car; The two locked arms and proceeded to the book store.

"What are we looking for in here?" He inquired.

An older gentleman held the door open for the couple; Gil nodded their thank yous and followed his wife into the store.

The warming smell of freshly brewed coffee made Sara stand up straighter; She slowly scanned the store to see where the aroma was coming from.

"Don't even think about it," Gil warned as he saw what she was doing.

"Why? I can't even smell the coffee now?"

A grin spread on his face. "Fine, smell away. But when people start looking at you funny, you'll have to defend yourself."

Sara took one step closer to him; With a grin, she kissed him gently on the lips, pulled away and whispered "Thank you."

They set off through the store, walking slowly to glance at the book titles on the myriad of shelves.

Sara pulled Gil into an aisle, obviously having spotted something.

"What are you doing?"

"Look up."

She pointed at the ceiling; A large brown sign hung several feet above their heads with the word 'Pregnancy' written in bold letters.

"Why are we here? You already know what happens."

Sara ignored Gil. She moved her finger along the books, each one varying in thickness and in title. She was looking for something, but wasn't sure what.

"Here," She softly said as she pulled a large book off one of the shelves. "Week by Week Pregnancy Guide."

Gil watched with a smile as she carefully turned each page; Upon reaching the 16 week section, she pulled him down onto the floor.

"Sara, I understand you are excited about this baby, but can't we sit somewhere that there isn't a slimy substance sticking to my ass?"

Overlooking Gil's slime filled dilemma, she read aloud one paragraph.

"_Weighing in at all of three ounces, your little one is now 12 centimeters crown to rump. Baby's head is now held high, and limb movements occur in a coordinated fashion. The eyes have come closer together so that they face forward, and the baby begins to blink. Tiny toenails are beginning to form. On an ultrasound, you may catch sight of the sucking reflex as your baby sucks his or her thumb. And that's not all you may see: Gender is now recognizable, if you have an extroverted fetus"_

With a sigh, she closed the book and looked expectantly at Gil.

"That's very interesting. Maybe we should buy that," He suggested. No longer being able to stand sitting on the floor, he quickly stood up then offered his hands to Sara.

She graciously accepted his help; When they both were standing, she locked her arms around his neck.

"Thank you for putting up with me."

"Sara, my love, it's not 'putting up with you'. It's called loving you," Gil replied. He gave her a kiss then grabbed her hand, wanting to resume looking throughout the store.

Sara couldn't help but smile as she realized just how much she loved Gil, Liz, and her unborn child.


	55. Shopping

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own CSI, Barbie, Walmart or any other of the trademarked names in this story!**

"So, anywhere else you need to go?" Gil asked Sara.

The back of their Tahoe was almost completely full of bags from their massive shopping trip; At least one bag from every store they had visited had been compiled.

"Shit. I need to go to Walmart. New clothes; These hardly fit anymore," She lifted her shirt up a bit, revealing the jeans that she had struggled to get on. The button had slipped out of the buttonhole and much to Sara's dismay, would not go back in no matter how hard she tried.

"Just leave it. I'm sure the baby wouldn't mind the extra room."

Gil reached over and placed his hand on her stomach, briefly catching her eyes as he did so.

Sara liked the feel of his warm hand meeting her stomach; She loved it even more that he was happy she was pregnant with his second child. It made her heart flutter to see him excited to be a new dad again.

"Walmart, here we come!"

**The Grissom Residence**

Heather sighed with relief as she switched the light off in Liz's bedroom; Nine o'clock seemed to take a long time to arrive.

In the three hours before it was Liz's bedtime, several things had been played. Drama filled Barbies, baby dolls, coloring and still more.

She tiptoed down the stairs and smiled upon reaching the first story of the house again.

"What to do, what to do," Heather thought aloud, walking down the hallway to the kitchen. The bright light shocked her eyes for a moment but once they adjusted she was once again astounded by the Grissom's kitchen.

After announcing it was dinner time, Liz had pulled her babysitter into the kitchen and over to the fridge. She then yanked open the door to expose that it was very well stocked.

Liz decided she simply wanted a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and told Heather which cupboard the jelly and peanut butter were in.

A noise behind her mad Heather jump and turn around.

Lily the dog sat by the entrance to the living room. Her tail was wagging, making a thumping sound on the linoleum floor.

"Hey Lily," Heather walked over to the dog and bent down to pet her.

She had been shocked to see that not only did Gil really have a dog, but she was also very well behaved and knew an assortment of tricks.

Once Lily was satisfied with the petting, she stood up and took off for an unknown destination.

Heather returned to the kitchen, grabbed a bag of pretzels off the counter and strode to the living room.

The television was on and had been muted; Liz said the sound interrupted her playing.

A smile spread on Heather's face as she watched an unidentified character from a cartoon dance happily across the screen; It brought back cherished memories from when her own daughter, Zoe, had been a child.

Blinking back the tears that came with these memories and how happy she had been when Zoe had been alive, Heather collapsed onto the couch with the remote in hand. She flipped through them for a moment before stopping on a news channel.

She hardly ever watched the news but felt tonight it was better than cartoons.

"I wonder if they're having fun," She thought, popping a pretzel into her mouth.

**WalMart**

Sara picked up a pair of maternity pants and held them up to her slender frame; She knew before long that frame would vanish until after the baby was born, but she didn't care.

"What about these?" She asked Gil, who seemed less than enthused to be clothes shopping.

"Hey, I stuck it out in the Entomology section of the bookstore. So you will stay conscious through this part of this store."

Gil blinked a few times before responding. "They look fine. Along with the other six pairs you asked about."

Sara smiled at him.

"Fine. Let's go somewhere else in the store."

Gil sighed happily and pushed the cart out into the main aisle, looking over his shoulder to make sure Sara was following.

"Should we call Heather?" She asked suddenly. She stopped in her tracks and nearly got hit in the rear with a cart being pushed by an angry looking man.

Gil pulled her out of the way of danger as he answer, "If you want to you can. I'm sure everything is fine."

Sara hesitated; She didn't want Heather to think she wasn't trusted, but she also just wanted to see how things were going.

Slowly she pulled her cell phone out and pressed the speed dial number 6.

"You have our house on speed dial?" Gil chuckled.

"I didn't have any other numbers to put in!" She replied as she listened to the number being dialed.

"Me. How about me?" Gil asked. Sara shot him a look mixed with confusion and a bit of 'Hello? Do you have a brain?' "Oh right. We live together."

"Heather, hi! It's Sara. I just wanted to make sure everything is okay."

Gil watched as Sara's expression changed from worried to smiling.

"Okay, I'm glad. Well we should be home in a little bit; If you get hungry… Oh, Liz already told you? Okay. We'll see you in a bit. Thanks, bye!"

She closed the flip phone with a smile.

"Everything's fine."

Gil nodded and the two began walking again, continuing the most wonderful day they had had in a long time.


	56. Sleepover?

Gil gently pushed the front door open and turned around to allow Sara to enter first.

Much to his surprise, Sara's head was drooping, signaling she was asleep.

"Sara. Sara! Go in the house," He instructed. When she didn't reply, he lightly took her arm just above her elbow and guided her into the house.

Once inside, her brown eyes flicked open.

"Go upstairs and go to bed," Gil smiled.

Sara nodded sleepily and slowly walked up the stairs. Gil slipped his coat and shoes off, and set off in search of Heather. As he took the few steps to the living room, he glanced at his watch.

2:34.

They had been gone eight hours.

A smile spread on Gil's face as he thought about all the bags he would have to unload in the morning. Of course, Sara would offer to help but she was pregnant and shouldn't be lifting anything.

He stopped in the doorway to the living room. The television was on, volume turned down; The lights from the changing screen flickered across the wall the couch was on.

Then his gaze drifted to the slender form on the couch; It was very clear she was asleep. She was lying on her right side, head resting on a crimson colored pillow that perfectly matched her lips. Her hand was nestled underneath the pillow whilst the other hung limp off the couch, her long elegant fingers grazing the white carpet.

Gil didn't know what to do; Wake her up? Or let her sleep? Five minutes passed, then ten and he still hadn't reached a decision.

With a sigh he walked out of the living room and turned left, walking to the kitchen.

The only light on was the overhead light above the sink. It's brightness no longer affected Gil. He had long ago grown used to the intense white light.

Still pondering what to do about Heather, he took three big strides to the fridge and pulled it open. He grabbed a bottle of water and twisted the cap off. The cool liquid felt good running down his throat and seemed to make him decide what to do.

Gil screwed the cap back on then placed the chilly bottle on the counter.

He returned to the living room, his decision was clear and final.

It wouldn't hurt if he let her sleep. Would it? His mind seemed to be playing ping pong with the idea.

After a quick shake of his head, Gil snatched the green chenille blanket off the back of the couch; He unfolded it to full length and softly covered Heather up with it.

She stirred a small bit, but was just changing her sleep position.

"Good night," Gil mumbled as he strode out of the room and up the stairs.

**The Next Morning**

Heather awoke slowly with the feeling that something had been placed on her legs and part of her stomach.

Following blinking rapidly for a minute, she lifted her head to Liz laying on top of her, her arms folded on Heather's stomach with her head resting on them.

"Oh! Good morning," She cautiously greeted, looking around at her surroundings.

"Morning. You sleep late, you know that?" Liz informed the dominatrix.

"Why… why am I still here?" Heather was talking to herself, trying to sort out why she was still on the Grissom's couch and not at home in her own bed.

"Daddy said he let you sleep."

Abruptly, Sara rushed into the living room. She was still in her clothes from the previous night and it appeared she hadn't been awake long either.

"Liz, oh my God, get off of her," She told her daughter. Without waiting for her move, Sara advanced to the couch and lifted Liz off of Heather. "There. Now go play, honey."

Liz obediently ran off in search of some form of entertainment.

"I'm sorry about that. Did she hurt you?" Sara inquired, sitting down in the Lazy-Boy chair next to the couch.

Heather shook her head as she sat up; Before answering with words, she stood up off the couch and folded the blanket that had been covering her, then placed it back where it had been.

"No, I'm fine," She smiled, sitting back down on the couch. She hesitated slightly but decided to go on. "Um… why am I still here?"

Sara furrowed her brows, appearing to be deep in thought.

"I don't know. Let's go talk to Gil."

The two women stood up; Heather gestured for Sara to go first.

They walked into the kitchen, where Gil was seated at the table.

"Hey, good morning!" He greeted with a smile. He sipped his coffee and turned the page in the newspaper he was reading, unaware that the two brunettes before both wanted answers.

"Why is she still here?" Sara asked. She didn't mind that Heather had slept over, but she wanted to think that her husband would have at least had the common courtesy to at least ask if Heather had even wanted to.

A slight blush tinted Gil's cheeks.

"Well… it was late and I just thought that… maybe she'd prefer sleeping to driving," He answered.

Sara stifled her giggling the best she could for a moment but then burst out laughing. Both Heather and Gil stared at her in shock. What could possibly be so funny?

"I-I'm sorry. It just struck me as funny! He's sitting there being interrogated by us," Sara waved as she walked back to the living room to try and get herself under control.

Heather grinned as she pulled a chair out from the table to sit down in.

"The giggling stage; Did she go through that with Liz?"

Gil set his mug down on the newspaper in front of him. "No. Nothing's she's done during this pregnancy is the same as the first time. Well, the cravings are the same, but nothing else."

Heather nodded. Her smile faded as she continued talking.

"I went through that with Zoe; The giggling phase." A sad grin appeared and she lowered her head. "I didn't have any cravings but I giggled all the time for nearly six months."

Gil didn't know what to say; He had just assumed that she had, not necessarily moved on, but had come to terms with Zoe's death.

"Sorry. Just reminiscing; Being around a pregnant woman makes me remember everything," Heather apologized. She wiped a tear from her eye before looking up at Gil.

"I'm sorry… about Zoe," Gil offered. "And there is no need to apologize."

She nodded once. "Thank you. I should be going now. Tell Liz I enjoyed playing Barbies," She laughed as she stood up from the table.

Gil followed suit and stood up; He pulled his black wallet from his back pocket and opened it. A single bill remained.

Before pulling it out and handing it to Heather, he thought, "Wow. That was a huge shopping trip. Good thing I got that raise." A smile spread on his face at the thought.

"Heather, this is for you."

The dominatrix spun around and came face to face with the fifty dollar bill Gil was holding up at eye level.

"No. No, not that much," She shook her head in protest.

Gil held up his free hand after slipping the wallet back into his pocket.

"Yes. It's all I have. Take it."

Reluctantly, Heather outstretched her hand and Gil dropped the bill into it. She looked up at him once more before walking down the hall to find her coat and leave.

"Heather?" Gil followed her.

She stopped, but didn't turn around.

"Thank you," He said with a grin. "Sara and I had a great time last night; We wouldn't have been able to if you hadn't offered to watch Liz."

"You're welcome," Heather replied. "You know who to call if you need someone to watch her the next time."

She pulled her coat off of the coat tree, slipped it on followed by her thigh-high leather boots; Just as she had grasped the doorknob, Liz ran down the stairs.

"Wait!" She cried. "Hold on!"

Heather let go of the knob to see what Liz had to say. Much to her surprise, Liz locked her arms around Heather's waist.

"You are a really cool babysitter," Liz informed her. Then with a smile, sprinted back up the stairs.

A chuckle escaped Heather's lips. "Thanks. Goodbye, Gil."

Gil closed the door behind as she exited. Sara's happy giggles interrupted his thoughts, but also invited him to join her in whatever was so funny.

With a grin, he walked to the living room to see if whatever his wife was laughing at really was amusing; But Heather's obvious pain about Zoe's death was still extremely fresh in his mind.


	57. Peanut Butter Diasaster

**Three Months Later**

Sara moodily sighed; No one ever visited her, all the excitement in her life was gone and therefore, she felt she had the right to be moody.

Now six months pregnant, she had experienced some changes, both good and bad. One of the good things was that they had started on decorating the nursery.

It had originally been the guest room. A medium sized room with a lot of sunlight, which Sara had read that the brighter a nursery is, the happier the baby should be.

Just one of the bad things happened to be that her mood often changed faster than the speed of light. One moment Sara would be happy and smiling, then the next she would be crying her eyes out for no apparent reason.

Her obstetrician had said that the mood swings were completely normal; When Sara pointed out that this pregnancy had been nothing at all similar to when she had been pregnant with Liz, the doctor simply responded, "No two pregnancies are the same."

That was another thing; Sara often found herself reminiscing about the past. Mostly about before she had gotten pregnant with this baby.

Although she was extremely thrilled to welcome this child into the world, Sara was sick of being pregnant. The past six months had felt like six years; And she still had three months to go!

"Mommy!" Liz called from the kitchen.

It was Saturday and it appeared that Liz was especially needy; Or perhaps she realized that she had better collection as much attention as possible before the new baby came.

"What?"

"Mommy, my hand is has peanut butter all over it!"

Sara groaned as she stood up from the couch; It seemed to be where she spent most of her time. Not necessarily watching television, but most of the time just sitting there thinking.

"Hold on, I'm coming. Don't touch anything," Sara sighed.

Gil had once again left to go grocery shopping; The one thing she could still do without having help and he had to take it away.

Sara slowly made her way to the kitchen and upon reaching it, she nearly fainted. Liz was standing on a chair at the island in the center of the kitchen, peanut butter jar on it's side. The young girl turned around on the chair she heard her mother enter the room.

"What the hell was going on in here?" She gasped.

Peanut butter fingerprints where all over the island, counters and refridgerator. Surely Liz hadn't made this mess; But then again, Sara and Liz were the only two in the house.

"I was trying to do what you and daddy do; Collecting fingerprint! So I thought the peanut butter would lift them. But it didn't work the first few times so I kept trying," Liz explained.

She wiped her forehead with her hand, smearing the sticky substance over her face as she did so.

"Okay. Go sit at the table but do not touch anything," Sara pulled a chair out from the table for Liz to sit in.

She could feel her mood starting to change. It wasn't anything she could control. The tears welled up behind her chocolate eyes and before she knew it, Sara was sitting on the floor of the peanut butter covered kitchen, sobbing.

"I'm sorry, mommy! I didn't mean to make you cry!" Liz wailed. She slowly approached her mother with tears in her own eyes.

"Go wash your hands and your face," Sara choked out. She did her best to cover her face in her hands, so Liz wouldn't see her crying.

Once the little girl's footsteps could no longer be heard, Sara rested her head back on the island. She was so sick of crying for no reason at all; And it broke her heart for Liz to see her so emotional.

She heard the front door open followed by footsteps.

"Hey, I'm home!" Gil called. He dropped his keys onto the small table next to the door; Sara was a little surprised at how silent the house was. She could hear everything that was going on.

As she heard Gil approaching the kitchen, she attempted to clean her face up; It was a fruitless effort. More tears flooded her eye and spilled down her cheeks as Gil came into her view.

"Sara? What's wrong?" Gil whispered hoarsely as he spotted his wife; He quickly rushed to her side and knelt down.

"I'll be fine. Go find Liz and tell her she didn't make me cry," Sara pleaded; She closed her eyes and sighed. She just wanted to be able to stop crying and explain to her daughter that she wasn't the cause of her mother's tears.

Gil nodded and stood up. He looked back at Sara once as he walked out of the room, a look of confusion in his eyes.

After inhaling deeply twice, Sara was able to stop the seemingly endless flow of tears. Much to her relief, as she touched her cheek, no more tears fell.

With a sigh Sara pushed herself up from the floor; She glanced around at the peanut butter mess she still needed to clean up, but decided to leave it alone until later.

Liz was much more important than any food.

She trudged out of the kitchen; Upon reaching the stairs, she was surprised to see Liz running down them.

"Daddy explained it to me. I didn't make you cry; But I'm sorry I made a mess," Liz mumbled, her arms locked around her mother's waist.

"It's okay. I'm not mad; You're a little kid. You're supposed to experiment. Next time, ask for my help in fingerprinting the kitchen, okay?" Sara smiled down at Liz.

"Sure thing mommy."

She released Sara from the hug and with a smile, ran off to play.

"You okay?" Gil inquired as he reached the last step.

"Yeah. I'd better go clean that up."

"And I'm going to unload the groceries."

Sara walked off in the direction of the kitchen, whilst Gil strode out the front door.

With a grin she began scrubbing the peanut butter off of the counter; It made her happy to see Liz wanting to expand her knowledge.

She hoped the unborn child in her stomach would be the same way.


	58. Early Call and a Surprise

**A/N: This chapter is really short, so I apologize. But I hope you like it anyway! Thanks for the reviews!**

"Sara?" A shaky voice on the other end of the phone asked.

It was two o'clock in the morning; Sara had just fallen asleep when the phone rang. She had no idea who it was, but they didn't sound too good.

"Yes. Who is this?"

"It's Jenna."

"What's wrong?"

Sara sat straight up, suddenly very wide awake. Why would Jenna be calling so early in the morning?

"Nick and I are on our way to the hospital. My water broke," She gasped. Her breathing was slightly labored, but at the same time it was obvious she was doing the breathing techniques she had been taught while taking Lamaze.

"I'll be right there," Sara flipped the covers off of her body and stood up from the bed.

"No. Nick will call you later; Just go back to sleep. The next time you see me, I'll have a baby in my arms!"

A click told Sara that Jenna had just hung up; She did the same, placing the cordless phone back on the charger with a grin.

"Hmm?" Gil mumbled in his sleep.

She didn't answer. She simply tiptoed out of the room and into the bathroom.

As the door shut, Sara lifted her shirt up, revealing her stomach; It was very noticeable that she was pregnant. At 24 weeks along, it was expected to be that way.

She gently moved her finger in circlers all around her stomach. And for the first time this pregnancy, she felt the baby kick.

The small gasp that emitted through her lips echoed throughout the bathroom. She dropped her extra large shirt over her belly and rushed out of the bathroom, back into the bedroom.

"Gil!" She hissed quietly, not wanting to awaken Liz.

"Hmm?"

"Wake up!"

With a groan, he slowly tossed the blankets off of himself and sat up; His eyes were still closed, but that didn't matter to Sara. She only needed his hand.

"I want you to feel this," She whispered.

She climbed up onto the bed and positioned herself next to Gil. With a smile, she took his hand in hers then placed it on the spot where baby had kicked earlier.

She ever so softly pressed his hand down, so she knew the unborn child could feel it. After a moment, two kicks into his palm made Gil draw his hand back.

"What the hell?" He inquired; His eyes where now open, and he appeared startled.

He tapped the touch light on his nightstand twice, a soft glow making part of the room visible.

"She kicked," Sara replied.

"She? How do you know it's a girl? And wait, she kicked?"

Sara nodded happily. She placed her own hand where Gil's had been; The child continued to kick, almost as if they had just discovered the ability.

"I think it's a girl. Here, want to feel it again?"

Gil looked unsure at first, but the look in Sara's eyes told him that he should.

He extended his hand towards Sara, letting her repeat what she had done earlier.

"Just relax," She told him. "It won't hurt you."

The baby continued to kick; Gil allowed Sara to move his hand wherever she could feel their child kicking.

This went on until the sun had come up, when Sara rested her head on Gil's chest and they both fell asleep.


	59. Room 305

Ring ring.

Sara opened her eyes; She was lying on her right side, her brown hair had fallen in her face sometime during the night. She looked at the nightstand she was able to see; The phone was indeed ringing, but where was it?

The cordless phone was not on the charger. She sat up carefully and looked around; The ringing could be heard, but the phone couldn't be seen.

"Where's the damn phone?" She whispered to herself.

With a groan, Sara pushed herself up off of the bed; The hardwood floor was a bit of a shock her to her bare feet. She stumbled out of the room and down the stairs.

Upon reaching the first story of their house, she heard Gil answer the phone. She couldn't make out the words but he sounded happy. She walked to the kitchen and found her husband sitting at the kitchen table, a smile spread wide on his aged face.

"Oh, hi Sara! Here, it's for you," He handed the tired looking brunette the telephone with a grin.

"Hello?" She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her left ear.

"Hey, it's Jenna! Would you mind coming to visit me?"

"Ooh, you had the baby! Is it a girl?"

Jenna giggled for a moment. "Just come out here. I'm in room 305 on the maternity ward of Desert Palm."

**Desert Palm Hospital**

Sara walked along the almost empty halls of the maternity ward; She glanced at each door as she passed, searching for room 305.

Gil was at her side, still smiling. It was rather obvious he had a secret or some pertinent information about Jenna and Nick's child, but he wouldn't share it.

"God, where is her room?" Sara moaned.

As if that was her cue, a nurse as tall as Gil approached them with a tired grin. "What room are you looking for?"

"305," Sara responded.

"Oh, the Stokes babies. Come with me."

The nurse lead them down the hall to a door that had been two doors away from where they had been standing.

Sara nudged Gil's arm. "What did she mean 'the Stokes babies'? There are more than one?"

Gil simply smiled at Sara, offering no answer at all.

"You can go ahead in."

The nurse held the heavy door open as Sara walked into the room; Once she was in, Gil thanked the nurse as she strode away.

"Hi," Jenna whispered with a grin.

She was leaning back against the mattress; The bed had been adjusted so she could comfortably sit up. And a tiny bundle in a blue blanket was in her arms.

Sara moved to the left side of the bed to take a peek at the baby; The black haired green-eyed little boy was intently staring up at his mother.

"He looks like Nick," Sara commented.

Jenna nodded as another person entered the room. It was Nick; And he too had a small bundle in his arms.

Gil moved farther into the room to allow the new father to join his wife. Sara glanced up at Nick and did a double take.

She shifted her gaze from Jenna back to Nick; The Texan sat down in a blue overstuffed chair, his eyes never moving from the newborn in his arms.

"Twins?" Sara inquired.

Nick nodded with a smile. "Yeah. A boy and a girl. The doctor said he couldn't understand why they could only see one on the ultrasounds. But I guess sometimes that happens."

"What are their names?"

Jenna very gently rocked the little boy in her arms from side to side.

"Her name is Lorelei Melinda; Of course, we'll give her a nickname or two. She's named for my mother," Jenna started, nodding at Nick to take over. "And his name is William Gil Stokes."

Sara grinned. "His middle name is Gil? That's adorable."

"Well, we were going to name him for my father and then have his middle name be Gil; But his name would have been Bill Gil Stokes, so we changed it a little bit," Nick smiled back.

"Want to hold him?" Jenna looked up at Sara.

"Sure."

Sara bent down slightly, so Jenna could hand her the infant without exerting herself.

Once in her arms, William kicked a few times in his sleep, reminding the woman holding him of when her own child had been that small.

"Just think, Sara. In a few months, you'll have another baby to hold; Your own," Nick softly said.

Jenna yawned quietly, not loud enough to wake up the sleeping babies but not soft enough that everyone in the room couldn't heard her.

"How about we come back when you aren't so tired?" Gil suggested.

Sara nodded as she handed the sleeping child back to his mother.

"Okay. Thanks for coming; I'll see you later," Jenna yawned again.

Sara and Gil silently left the room; A smile spread on Sara's face. Gil noticed this almost immediately.

"What's making you smile?" He inquired, wrapping his right arm around her shoulders.

"I just can't wait for this baby to get here."


	60. New Baby and The End

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! This is the LAST chapter! Hope you like it!**

**Three Months Later**

Sara inhaled sharply as she was awoken by her alarm clock. Sitting up to shut the ringing off, she realized it was the day she had been waiting for.

She was going to have her baby.

It was her due date; July 8th. She was now 9 months and two days pregnant. The day she had waited for seemed to take an eternity to arrive, but it was here.

She reclined back against the headboard, just reminiscing about the earlier months.

The previous three months seemed to have flown by. The baby's nursery was now fully decorated, equipped with everything from a soft-cushioned changing table to a yellow chair for Sara to sit while rocking her child.

Jenna called Sara at least once a day during the twins' first month home. It was understandable, considering Jenna was a first time mom and she and Nick were both unsure of how to do everything; They knew the basics, but some things, like not making the bottles too hot, took some practice.

Nicknames were developed for the twins. Lorelei Melinda has several; Mostly because Liz adored the little girl. The most frequent names were L.M., Mel and El. How Liz arrived at 'El' none of the adults could quite understand.

William Gil's nicknames consisted of Buggy, because his middle name was for Gil, Will and WG. It appeared that Buggy was his favorite, for whenever the name was said, he kicked and gurgled happily.

Each morning before going to school, Liz would extend her hands toward her mother; Sara would grin and place Liz's hands on the spot where the baby was kicking. Then returning the grin, Liz would give Sara a hug and rush off to school.

Sara's craving grew stranger with each week. One moment she was eating mustard with popcorn, the next it was orange sherbet with barbecue potatoes chips.

And Gil continued to do the grocery shopping every week or whenever it needed done. Sara thought it was sweet that he managed to work at the lab, decorate the nursery, go out for groceries and still find time to sit out on the porch swing and rub his tired wife's feet.

Snapping back the present, Sara realized she had to get dressed. She was due at the hospital at 10 o'clock, and the clock next to the bed was reading 8:30.

While his wife was traipsing around upstairs trying to find something comfortable to wear, Gil was sitting in the kitchen sipping coffee. The reality that later that day he would be holding his second child made him both nervous and excited at the same time.

He was happy for the obvious reasons; Their second child together, and most people are overjoyed to have another child. The nervous feeling was because he had to go through it all again; Even though he was extremely happy, the thoughts of having to change diapers, the late night crying, it made him a bit scared.

He was out of practice. Yes, he had been around Jenna and Nick's twins quite a bit, but he wasn't there for everything; He feared doing something wrong or not fulfilling his fatherly duties.

"Gil!" Sara shouted from the top of the stairs; Her gasping could be heard from the kitchen, frightening him more than his thoughts.

"What's wrong?"

He sprinted out of the kitchen, nearly stepping on Lily, and to the bottom of the stairs.

"My water just broke!"

**Desert Palm Hospital, Maternity Ward Room 509**

Sara, now donning a blue and white hospital gown, sighed. The doctor had told her two hours ago that she would be ready to deliver; Then the last time Dr. Tiverson, Sara's obstetrician from both of her pregnancies, had checked to see how dilated she was, he informed that it would another two hours.

Hospitals had always bored and annoyed Sara. She hated the waiting the most.

On the way to the hospital, she and Gil had decided to drop Liz off at Catherine's. After each giving Liz a big hug then receiving two from Catherine, the two continued to the hospital.

Now Sara was lying in a bed, the TV in the far left corner of her room on mute. Gil had gone to find coffee for himself; The doctors had instructed him not to give Sara any caffeine, that it would only give her a little spurt of energy and then she wouldn't be able to push during the delivery.

So after facing several threats from his wife, he walked out of the room in search of something to occupy him.

Sara didn't feel like sleeping; She just wished the child inside of her would hurry up and decide it wanted to be born.

A knock came from the door; She didn't tell the person to enter. She figured if they really wanted to see her badly enough, they'd enter without a welcome.

"Hey Sara," A quiet voice greeted; Sara looked over to the door and much to her surprise, Greg Sanders was standing there.

"Greg. What's up?"

The wacky haired lab tech walked into the room a little farther; A chair was next to Sara's bed, but something in Greg's mind told him not to sit there. It was Grissom's chair; And therefore, he opted to stand.

"Catherine called me; She said you were here. I just wanted to wish you… good luck."

Laughter erupted from Sara; Is that what you say to a pregnant woman who's almost ready to pop? 'Good luck'?

"Um, thanks," Her laughter slowed to quiet giggles.

"I'll just go now."

"You don't have to. I'm pretty bored," Sara tried to hide the pleading for company in her voice, but it was still evident.

Greg smiled happily. "I brought a deck of cards."

He finally sat down in the green chair, pulling a deck of cards out of the front pocket of his jeans. He dealt the cards, giving Sara seven and then himself.

"What are we playing?" Sara inquired. Her cards were two fives, a four, three nines and a four.

"Have a four?"

"Yeah…" Sara handed Greg her four, catching on that they were playing Go Fish.

The game continued for nearly an hour until Dr. Tiverson entered the room.

"Cards; That's a nice way to pass time. I just need to check and see how far Sara is dilated," The doctor warned Greg.

The younger man nodded, placing his cards on the table next to the bed and walking out of the room.

Dr. Tiverson chuckled then went on to do what he had entered the room to. With a grin, he told Sara, "You're ready to have your baby!"

**Catherine Willows' House**

"I wonder if mommy had the baby yet," Liz inquired.

She and Catherine were seated on the couch, eating Cheetos and watching a show on television.

"I don't know. Your daddy said he would call when she did; And I don't think he would break that promise."

Liz nodded thoughtfully. "Did you babysit me when I was a baby?"

"Yep. A lot. Sometime your Uncle Greg would help me; He was scared to hold you, did you know that?"

"No! He was?"

"Yes. But Uncle Nick wasn't. He loved holding you; It was so cute," Catherine smiled happily.

Telling Liz stories about when she was a baby made her happy for some reason.

"I like holding LM; She's so cute. And I like her outfits," Liz shared, popping a Cheeto into her mouth.

"Well pretty soon, your baby sibling will wear cute outfits like that."

Liz smiled happily. "That's cool. Did mommy show you the nursery?"

"Yeah and she said you helped with it."

"Yep. I helped daddy paint."

As the show came back from a commercial, Liz directed her attention to the television; Catherine smiled at the little girl. She was going to be a great big sister.

**Desert Palm Hospital, Maternity Ward Waiting Room**

Gil paced back and forth across the waiting room; He was the only one in the room full of chairs and he didn't have to worry about bothering anyone.

His mind swirled with thoughts.

Would it be a boy or a girl? What would they name it? How would Liz react to being able to hold her younger sibling?

He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. It had been amusing to him to walk into Sara's room and find her playing cards with Greg.

When she announced she was just waiting for the doctors to come back and wheel her to the delivery room, Gil couldn't stop smiling.

He couldn't wait to see the baby. It was a day that not he and Sara, but Liz as well had been waiting for.

While Sara was taken to the delivery room, Gil was shown to the waiting room, where he been waiting for forty-five minutes.

Just when he was about to sit down, Dr. Tiverson entered the room with a grin; He still had blue scrubs on, along with a green and yellow hair cap.

"Mr. Grissom, would you like to see your wife?"

The walk to the room Sara was in being checked over seemed to take a long time; Much longer than expected. Gil knew he was just so impatient to see Sara and the baby that his mind was playing tricks on him.

"Put these on," The doctor handed Gil a pair of yellow scrubs, giving him a flashback to the day Liz had been born and the same thing had happened. "And you can go on in."

Dr. Tiverson entered first; Gil slipped the scrubs on then followed him.

Nurses calmly walked around the room; Sara wasn't the only one in here. Several other mothers were present, each of their beds kept private by a cloth curtain.

Gil spotted Sara; She was lying in a bed almost directly in front of him. A nurse was asking her questions but when Gil reached her bed, the nurse smiled at him and walked away.

"Hi," She whispered, a small grin tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"Hey. How are you?"

"Tired."

Gil nodded but he still had one more question. "What is it?"

Sara laughed for a moment, almost like she had expected that. "It's a girl."

Another little girl; Gil's heart nearly burst with joy. He bent down and kissed Sara's forehead, then sat on the edge of her bed and took her hand.

"I sort of figured it was a boy, because this pregnancy wasn't anything like the one with Liz," Sara rambled.

Gil grinned as he realized whatever drugs they had given Sara before the birth still hadn't worn off.

"Where is she?" Gil paused for a moment. "And what's her name?"

"I thought you were going to pick it out."

Gil thought for a second. "I have one." Sara nodded for him to continue. "Grace Louise; For my mother."

Sara grinned. "That's beautiful. Grace Louise it is."

"I'll be right back."

Gil stood up from the bed and rushed out of the room. He found a payphone on the wall next to the recovery room. With a smile, he picked up the receiver and dialed Catherine's number.

"Hello?"

"It's Grissom. Are you coming to the hospital?" It joy was very clear in his voice.

"Be there in ten."

After hanging the phone back up, Gil did not re-enter the room. He wanted to wait for Catherine and Liz to show up.

**Catherine's Tahoe, A Few Seconds Away From Desert Palm**

"Mommy had the baby?" Liz shrieked. She too was obviously overjoyed about meeting her baby sister. She nor Catherine knew it was a girl, but both had a hunch it was.

"Yep. We're going to see her now."

Catherine pulled into the Desert Palm parking lot, a place she had visited many times while doing her job. She watched as Liz unbuckled her seat belt and hopped out of the vehicle.

"Come on!" She giggled to Catherine.

The two jogged into the building, Catherine slowly down greatly so not to get ahead of Liz.

Upon reaching the maternity ward, both were severely out of breath.

"Next time I want to jog, talk me out of it," Liz giggled. Then with a grin, she spotted her father. "Daddy!"

Gil turned to find the little girl suddenly directly in front of him.

"Hey! We have a surprise for you. Want to go see mommy?"

Liz nodded happily; Catherine finally reached the two with a grin.

"Do you want to come in too?" Gil asked.

Catherine shook her head no, so Gil turned his attention back to Liz.

"Okay, you have to put this on," He helped her slip on a pair of the yellow scrubs; The material was far too big. Gil picked her up so she wouldn't fall.

Catherine watched as Gil carried Liz into the room; She soon spotted Sara, who was lying in a bed with a tiny bundle wrapped in a pink blanket in her arms.

"Hi mommy," Liz whispered.

Gil set Liz down on the edge of Sara's bed. He stood next to her, just observing the three most important women in his life.

"Hi, sweetheart. This is your baby sister, Grace."

Liz looked at the tiny infant; The love was evident in her eyes. "Mommy, she's so cute!"

Gil grinned; The interaction between mother and daughters was astounding. Sara showed Liz how to gently hold the baby's hand without hurting her, and Liz followed the directions to the letter.

He looked back at Catherine, who also was smiling, then back to his wife and daughters.

There they were, the newest addition to their family had been welcomed and was already being showered with love. It was perfect; And it was wonderful.

They were one big happy family.


End file.
